May 27, 2002 | 1950 IST
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Money > Business Headlines > Report May 27, 2002 | 1950 IST |
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Gangtok man wins Rs 86-million Playwin jackpotOur Correspondent in Mumbai
"I can have all those things that I have wished for: a big house, a family, a big hotel, a car in which I could travel around India and a servant for my family," says Bimal. Till now, Bimal, a commerce graduate, ran a fourteen-room hotel in Gangtok, Sikkim, that earned him about Rs 15,000 every month and lived with his foster parents. "It is unbelievable how I could win this money. I have not even won Rs 500 in my whole life and always thought I was unlucky. But today I am sure there was somebody up there who answered my dreams," says Bimal. Since the Sikkim Super Lotto was started over two months ago, Bimal has played the game regularly, though capping his expenditure on the lottery tickets at Rs 20 every week. Never a fan of the paper lottery, what drew Bimal to the Super Lotto game was the transparency and the credibility that seemed to be a part of the weekly draws. "I have faith in this lottery system. It's open, transparent and the draws are held publicly on television every week. This is quite unlike the paper lottery where no one knew who picked the numbers and how it was done," says Bimal. Like, Nilesh Tawade who won Rs 2 crores (Rs 20 million) as the first winner of the Super Lotto jackpot, Bimal too picked his six numbers using 'lucky pick'-an option on the Playwin terminal that has the computer pick six numbers at random. On May 23, when the draw for that week, was shown on TV, Bimal was in Siliguri. He watched the show, took down the winning number and after 15-odd minutes went to the bathroom, where in the laundry he discovered his shirt had the winning ticket. Bimal immediately called up his foster parents and returned to Gangtok next morning. The first thing he did was seek police protection. And then on Saturday, May 25, Bimal came forward to claim his prize.
"I want to invest in expanding my hotel. Maybe I will open three or four hotels. I will also give part of my money to charity. It's something I had decided from the day I started playing this game. I think God realised that I needed the money to reach somewhere in life," he says. Currently single, Bimal is now planning to get married. With his quick repartee, lively sense of humor and now the Rs 7.75 crores (Rs 77.5 million) in his pocket, he won't have any dearth of takers. "I definitely have to marry. But it's the girls who will be coming with the proposals," he laughs. ALSO READ:
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At 35, Bimal Kumar Gajmer's every wish has probably come true. He has won Rs 8.61 crores (Rs 86.10 million) from the Playwin Sikkim Super Lotto lottery.
Post-tax, which is at 10 per cent in Sikkim, Bimal will get Rs 7.75 crores (Rs 77.5 million) within the next 30 days. Though he does not have the details chalked out yet on how he wants to spend his money, Bimal is clear on the bigger picture.