Kritagaya Nayar, an IIT Roorkee alumnus working at Adobe and a content creator from Bengaluru, recently made headlines on Kaun Banega Crorepati 18. After a strong run, Nayar reached the ₹25 lakh question, but ultimately walked away with ₹12.5 lakh, opting not to risk his accumulated winnings.
His journey on the hot seat spanned two episodes, where he confidently cleared the first 12 questions, securing the ₹12.5 lakh safety net. The challenging 13th question, worth ₹25 lakh, proved to be his ultimate hurdle, testing his knowledge on a niche scientific detail.
Host Amitabh Bachchan posed the question: “Which item that belonged to ISRO scientist Nandini Harinath is displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum?” The options provided were a pair of spectacles, a saree, a diary, and a handbag. Having exhausted all his lifelines, Kritagaya Nayar found himself uncertain of the correct answer. Prioritizing his substantial winnings, he decided to quit the game.
After his exit, Bachchan encouraged Nayar to guess the answer, to which he responded “a saree.” This proved to be correct. The question referenced ISRO scientist Nandini Harinath, a deputy director at the Space Applications Centre, whose saree was indeed displayed at the Smithsonian as part of international exhibits celebrating women in space. This obscure fact made it a particularly difficult question for contestants without specialized knowledge.
Nayar’s cautious exit mirrors a trend observed in KBC 18, where several contestants have stopped at the ₹12.5 lakh mark when faced with highly specific questions across various fields like science, history, or geography. Previous episodes saw a teacher from Chhattisgarh and a homemaker from Uttar Pradesh similarly exiting due to specialized queries, securing ₹12.5 lakh each.