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Thursday, April 28, 2011

11.87 crores Sikkim Lotteryt to Bharat Thakkar

Luck & 6 digits changed it all for the trio

TNN | Apr 27, 2011, 01.12am IST

For Mulund resident Bharat Thakkar, a paltry sum of Rs 10, a set of six digits and a stroke of luck completely turned his life around recently when he hit a jackpot of Rs 11.87 crore. Wary of the attention his newfound wealth is likely to bring him, Thakkar chooses to be reticent and veil his exuberance even as the lottery company lines up celebrations for his win on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old has been closely guarding the good news for days. "I want it to be a surprise for my wife," is all he divulges. Admitting that the "rich feeling" and the sudden spotlight were all new for him, Thakkar apparently does not want to take any risk. Still unsure of how he will spend his bounty, the former real estate agent philosophically says he will follow the path life takes for him.

Thakkar is among two other winners of the Playwin lottery organized through the Sikkim government. "This is the largest sum we have given out at one shot," said Tsegyal Tashi, director Sikkim state lotteries, Sikkim government.

Like Thakkar, the other two winners also entered the crorepati league, by a mere twist of fate.

It was on a holiday to Kolkota that Dombivli resident Satish Algur (40) picked up his ticket. On returning home two days ago, he was greeted to the overwhelming tidings of his win of Rs 2.14 crore. The realisation is yet to sink in, says Algur who has already started conjuring up images of his dream home. Typical of any home buyer's worry in this space-crunched city, Algur who holds a job at a private firm jokes that he would need another lottery to afford the sky-high real estate prices in Mumbai.

The third winner, Bharat Krushna Vanarase from Pune, has arrived in Mumbai with his entire family; the smiles on his wife and daughters' faces speak volumes for the joy the Rs 7.77 crore jackpot has ushered into their household. A bank cashier on the brink of retirement, 59-year-old Vanarase has spent his life dabbling in notes, but the enormity of his win has left him speechless. A father of three, Vanarase has been dutifully picking up lottery tickets for the past 10 years, often at the cost of being reproached by his wife, Bharti. Today, she puts down the family's fortune to a stroke of luck. "I never thought I would win such a huge sum. We thank God for it," says Vanarase, who sheepishly adds that he has picked up another lottery ticket this week, just out of old habit.

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