April 20, 2002 | 1740 IST
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Money > Business Headlines > Report April 20, 2002 | 1740 IST |
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Nilesh Taware, the man who won the Super Lotto jackpotPriya Ganapati in Mumbai
The 22-year-old student from Bhiwandi, a distant suburb of Mumbai, is unmistakably dazed at his good fortune. After all, the odds of winning the jackpot have been pegged at one in 14 million. "I still can't believe this is true. It's hasn't really sunk in. For the last two days I have been only thinking about having won the jackpot, yet I cannot believe it has happened to me," says Taware hesitantly. It is the first time that Taware has played lottery in his life. The son of a small-time farmer and a tiny powerloom mill owner from Bhiwandi, Taware grew up in a 700 square feet house with two siblings - a younger brother and a sister. "We have a farm where we grow rice and potatoes. And then there is the powerloom which gets us about Rs 4,000-5,000 per month," Taware's father, Ananth says. Taware was not ever interested much in studies. He failed in his high school exams once and then set his mind on starting a business. His father didn't mind as long as Taware was determined to work his way through his own venture. "He (Taware) hasn't ever been interested in studies. So before he won the lottery he had given up on the idea of taking a job somewhere. He was determined to start his own business and was looking for the right ideas and opportunity," says a relative of Taware who had accompanied him. Taware did not get much as pocket money - sometimes he had as little as Rs 10 or Rs 20. But for the boy who likes cricket and painting, there were not too many wants either. Earlier in the week, Taware went to Pradeep Communications, a tiny shop that houses gadgets like fax machine, a photocopier, and a national and international long distance telephone booth. As Taware photocopied his HSSC mark sheet he spied on the Playwin terminal at the shop. He had heard of the online lottery and the shop's owner, Sandeep Tiwari, noticed his curiosity. "I saw that Nilesh was interested in the Super Lotto. So I explained to him how it works, how it is transparent and completely computerized and how there is little scope for manipulation. That's how I pitch the product to everyone who comes to my shop. It convinces them to try the game at least once," Tiwari says. Tiwari's pitch was good enough to capture Taware's imagination. Yet, the youngster walked away from the shop, only to come back a few hours later with his pocket money for the day - Rs 20. It was to buy him two tickets for the Super Lotto. "I liked the idea that it is all computerized. The entire idea of the lottery seemed interesting and different. And most importantly I felt that there could be no sleight of hand involved in this. It seemed like an honest chance for everyone, " he says. The six lucky numbers: 07, 09, 10, 18, 19 and 49, were picked out for Taware by the machine through its 'Lucky pick', an option that has the Playwin terminal choose six numbers at random for the player. On Thursday night, when the draw was held, Taware watched the programme and was quick to realise that he held the winning ticket. He cross-checked his ticket and was convinced. But he chose to remain silent and did not tell anyone, including his parents about him being the winner. "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't believe that I had won the jackpot. I was confused. I didn't know who to go to," Taware recalls. Taware's father noticed his agitation that night. But he didn't probe. "Nilesh kept going up to the terrace. He looked worried. He didn't eat well. He kept walking around the house, but not talking to anyone. I thought maybe he is just upset over something," his father says. Taware didn't sleep that night. The next afternoon he called Pradeep Communications, the vendor, anonymously and said that he wanted to meet him in private. "I got this telephone call from someone who said he had the winning ticket. But he wouldn't tell me his name and said that he wanted to protect himself now. I told him that he could come and meet me privately at my house so that we could decide what to do next," Tiwari recalls. So finally, next afternoon, Taware showed up with the winning ticket. Since then his life has changed completely. Waiting for Taware were the officials of Playwin, who whisked him away immediately. The numbers on the winning ticket were matched and Taware's credentials as the winner established. Over the next eight hours, a posse of Playwin officials, image consultants and private public relations agencies worked to coach Taware on how to face the media next morning. They bought him a new outfit, had a photo shoot and shot a series of promos for the television channels. "We first had to talk to him to calm him down. He was really worried and tense over having won the lottery. He was also hesitant about what to do next. We explained the procedures to him and helped him get ready to face the media next day. All of it was done in a few hours, with extreme secrecy so that his name would not leak out earlier than we had planned," says a senior Playwin official. So, it was finally on Saturday, April 20 at 1.30 pm that a stunned Nilesh Ananth Taware was presented as the first winner of the Super Lotto. "I have never seen so many photographers together in my life. There are so many important people too in this room. There's even Bhagyashree (a former Hindi film actress) in this room. I can't believe all this is happening," Taware stutters. It will be another two months before he sees the money. After the requisite 40 percent tax is paid to the Government, Taware will be handed over Rs 12 million (1.2 crore). He is yet unclear what to do with the money. "I have not planned anything yet. In fact, I haven't even given it a passing thought," he smiles before clamming up. Taware's father is content to leave it to his son to decide what he wants. "I think he wants to set up a good business. After that whatever he wants to do with the money, it is up to him. After all, he has won it," he says. ALSO READ:
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Nilesh Ananth Taware hasn't slept for two days. The cause of his insomnia is the Rs 20 million (Rs 2 crore) jackpot he won on Thursday in India's first online lottery - the Sikkim Super Lotto.