After watching my episode of Secret Millionaire, I learned that reality-TV is all about post production. Even though the emotions and stories are all real – editing makes everything come to life. Nevertheless, here are some missing parts that never made the episode:

•    The obvious shock, the show advertises that a millionaire will donate at least $100,000 of their money. I ended up gifting well over $100,000 – but the way editing was done – it made it seem I only gifted $90,000.

•    Due to privacy issues (which I completely understand), one of the additional recipients that I gifted was completely edited out.

•    St. Anthony’s is also a place where a lot of people go when they are trying to get their lives back on track. Even getting a job these days is all about getting on the Internet. So, I donated a new computer lab to St. Anthony’s.

•    I was deeply touched by the kids that lived at Raphael House. So, I started a “birthday fund” so at the very least, they get a birthday gift on their special day.

•    In the final part of the show – the millionaires go back into the community to follow up on the recipients that they gifted. That also did not make the final cut.

I know a part of making this show – is to keep it entertaining. So, there were certain scenes that were also edited in to add humor. I got a laugh out of them myself. I never actually said BAM four times in a row or said “grocery shopping – it’s not that easy.”

Nevertheless, my heart was always in the right place when I did Secret Millionaire. I’m proud of what I was able to do and blessed that God gave me the opportunity to start giving back at a young age. I’ve also continued to support St. Anthony’s and Raphael House throughout this year.

And, I’m sure philanthropy wise; this is only the beginning for me.

For those of that missed the episode you can catch it locally on Chahal.com or Hulu.com.

It was great to see Raphael House and St. Anthony’s get great recognition for being amazing local charities of San Francisco. It’s unfortunate that some of the people I gifted were left out of the editing room floor since I had donated over $100,000. But, I understand it’s hard to put an entire week into a one-hour episode.

Nevertheless, I had an incredible experience being a part of Secret Millionaire. I hope it inspires the youth to be a part of philanthropy very early in life.

I also would like to thank everyone for the incredible feedback.

Episode Premiere: December 11th, 2008
Time: 8 pm / 7 pm Central
Network: FOX

As many of you know, my episode for Secret Millionaire premieres today. After I sold BlueLithium to Yahoo last year, I also signed a 3-year non-compete. So I decided to make a list of all the different things I wanted to do outside of “business.” One was to write my memoir, “The Dream”, and another was to develop reality-based television shows that could inspire people. In November 2007, I signed up with William Morris to explore both of these projects.

 My agent introduced me to a group of producers of who were doing a show at FOX called “Secret Millionaire,” And who asked me if I wanted to be on the show. I was skeptical at first but I liked the premise:  Going undercover and helping people that have no expectations. In February, I was cast as the first Secret Millionaire and began filming the show.  Surprisingly enough, this ended up becoming one of the best experiences of my life.

You sometimes wonder why certain things happen to you – especially at certain points in your life. Perhaps, this was God’s way of reminding me that no matter how successful I become – to never forget where I came from. This type of neighborhood was familiar territory for me because more than twenty years ago, when my parents came to the United States from India, we lived in the projects of East San Jose.

During the week I filmed the show, I spent most of my time at two charities. St. Anthony’s Dining Room (soup kitchen), and Raphael House (a woman’s shelter). At the soup kitchen, I stood in line, ate food with the homeless, and helped out in the kitchen. Through this, I met some incredible personalities. At Raphael House, I was fortunate that I was able to volunteer there. Since, it was a battered woman’s shelter and I was a man. Nevertheless, I met some amazing women who had one main goal in life, which was their desire to be great mothers. I’m very close to my grandmother, mother, and sisters and saw my emotional journey begin to take over. I realized how grateful I am for family and how blessed we all are in this world.

 At the end of my journey, I donated over $100,000 to the charities and to 3 individuals with whom I had developed an emotional connection. I also realized deep down inside, even though I am only 26 – that philanthropy is going to be a big part of my future. This show also goes beyond money. The gifting, while it was monetary – the emotional impact was far greater. It helped renew hope in humanity.

At the end of the day, philanthropy is not measured monetarily but based on the time and commitment someone offers. I hope we all continue to do our part and offer a hand. These are hard times in America. At times like these, it is good to help those who have less than you.

For more information about the two charities I mentioned above you can visit:

St. Anthony’s Dining Room: http://www.stanthonysf.org/
Raphael House: http://www.raphaelhouse.org/