I could not believe it! Janani, my friend, was on the phone. She was equally thrilled. You see, Janani, me and another friend, Anusuya, were going to be on the very first episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Junior. We weren't going to be in the hot seat, but part of the audience. I was actually going to meet the Big B! I reached Janani's house at 8.40. Twenty minutes later, we were on our way in a KBC bus. I was so excited that the journey to Film City seemed to take ages. Everyone was talking only about Amitabh Bachchan. Finally, after a wrong turn and one-and-a-half hours later, we arrived. As we got down, we were made to queue up to collect our passes. There was a huge shed nearby. This, we were told, was where breakfast would be served. But the buffet tables were empty. We had to buy chips, biscuits and soft drinks from the stall. It was a rather disappointing beginning. It was hot. The overhead fans didn't seem to help much. Thirty minutes later, we queued up again and were security-checked. They even took our water bottles away. Maybe they thought the bottles contained bombs. Finally, we were allowed onto the set. I ran in, hoping to get three seats in the front. But those were all occupied. The seats I managed to get were so far back that we couldn't even see ourselves on the huge television set in the studio. A lady called Spenta took Amitabh Bachchan's place on the stage and announced a rehearsal. I had not known they had rehearsals before the actual show. She told us if we spoke or whispered, Mr Bachchan would go away. And warned us not to prompt if we knew the answers. She also corrected a five-year-old boy who, instead of saying Mr Bachchan like everyone at the KBC did, called him Amitabh. But she did it in a friendly manner. Every time the signboard flashed 'APPLAUSE', we had to clap. It was exhausting because the rehearsals never seemed to end. The 10 contestants kept making some mistake or the other. Spenta would lead them to the hot seat, tell them something and send them back to their places. This went on and on. Then, she seemed to think it wasn't fair to the others, so she chose those who hadn't got a chance in the hot seat and played KBC Junior with them. The applause board never stopped flashing. By the time Mr Bachchan actually came out, my hands were sore! His entrance was so sudden that at first I thought he was part of the crew. When we realised who it was, our mouths fell open. I didn't care whether my hands were sore; I just clapped very hard. We were so excited that we couldn't stop talking. Everybody forgot what Spenta had said. Mr Bachchan shook hands with the contestants. I thought he looked short, but that was probably because I was sitting in the elevated last row. Spenta appeared irritated as she gave us her last warnings. Then, at around 12.45, the show began. The participant who got to the hot seat was taken backstage so that a mike could be fixed to his shirt. For one particular question, the audience whispered the answers so loudly that Mr Bachchan heard them. Luckily, the camera wasn't focused on him, so he quietened us. At first I was really excited. But soon I became uncomfortable, bored and irritated. I felt suffocated. So many of us were crammed into each row that, if one person moved, the rest were forced to move as well. I can't tell you how relieved I was when a 15-minute break was announced. But the lights were giving me a headache. The shooting went on for two or three hours. Except during the rehearsals, we never got a chance to vote. Almost everyone began to feel thirsty or hungry; some of the smaller kids had to be taken to the loo. And, if they did not return on time, they had to wait for the next break before being allowed in. After the show, Mr Bachchan re-shot the question to which the audience had prompted the answer. Once the shooting was over, it was a stampede. All the kids ran for Mr Bachchan's autograph. But he was busy taking pictures with the contestants. I tried to get out of my seat, but it was almost impossible to reach the stairs leading to the stage. I kept tripping over people's legs. When I finally got to the stairs, someone stopped me from climbing on to the stage. But I didn't give up hope. I tried again and managed to dodge his hand. Hurrah! I was on the stage. I started running towards Mr Bachchan. The stage started trembling under my feet; I thought I was going to fall. Mr Bachchan was near the exit now, writing on someone's hand. This was my last chance. I didn't care whether I fell, I went for it. Breathlessly, I asked for his autograph. He was about to go away, but turned back and signed my book. Then, without a word, he walked away. I was thrilled. I shoved the book into my bag and returned to my friends. I looked at the autograph only as we were coming out of the studio. What a huge disappointment! Mr Bachchan had just scribbled in my book; I don't think he even signed his full name. I could barely make out the huge 'A'. When I looked up, they were serving lunch and everyone was running for the tables. We managed to get one and left our bags on the chairs. Just as we moved to collect our food, we saw someone eyeing our table. I quickly volunteered to take care of our belongings. When Janani and Anusuya came back with their plates, there was a stranger sitting there. I had gone to ask someone about our water bottles. When I came back, a girl was sitting on one of the chairs. By the time I got to the buffet, there were hardly any plates left. The lunch included chappati, nan, palak paneer, dal, rice, cauliflower and a sweet dish. When I got back, there were no vacant chairs. We finished our lunch and went to the gate to get our water bottles. Then we followed one of the mothers to our bus. There were three buses to take the crowd back. Our journey home took just 15 minutes. We kept talking about Amitabh Bachchan's autograph. It definitely wasn't the prettiest I had seen. But still, this was no ordinary scribble. It was the Big B's. The bus dropped us right in front of Janani's building and her parents dropped me home, where everyone seemed more excited than I was. I had no strength to answer their questions, so I just went to sleep. And dreamt... Amitabh Bachchan was asking questions to a KBC contestant. And I was in the hot seat! Samyukta Lakshman, all of 11 years, can out-quiz most KBC contestants. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh Tell us what you think of this diary
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