Dubai: After a month of winning the biggest jackpot at the Big Ticket raffle in Abu Dhabi, Indian national Harikrishnan V. Nair has finally received his cheque of Dh12 million.
On February 5, he was called in to not just pick up his cheque, but also pick the lucky ticket for the latest draw. Dh10 million were given away to another lucky Indian national, Sunil Mappatta Krishnan Kutty Nair.
Nair said: “They had informed me at the time of winning that I would have to select the next winner. I went there yesterday and got the opportunity to choose one winner. They shuffled the tickets many times, and I just picked one. I think it was lucky that the winner was another Indian national. In fact all the 10 winners were Indian, so I am very happy.”
It has been a month since Nair received the surprise call, which he initially thought was a prank, as the person on the other end congratulated him for winning Dh12 million. Immediately after, he left for India to visit his family and was on a business trip for the past two weeks in the UK and the US.
He said: “We have just returned and are settling down. We haven’t made any plans yet, maybe it will take another month or two to do so. My life is already good, though. I am happy.”
When the business development manager was asked if he has any plans to leave or switch jobs, he spoke about his struggles in the past 15 years.
He said: “I have been working so hard for 15 years to make my career. I don’t want to even think about leaving now.”
His wife, Nisha Harikrishnan, is of the same opinion. She believes her colleagues are like an extended family.
She said: “They have supported me at times when I was down, when I didn’t have anyone to talk to. We have a strong bond and I am happy to be spending time with them every day.”
There are a few other things that she is looking forward to, Valentine’s Day being one of them.
She said: “I want to see what a millionaire husband would give me as a gift. Last year, he sent flowers to my office. Maybe this year, it will be diamonds!”
The couple has already planned a trip to Sweden this July, a destination that Nisha always wanted to visit.
After the report about their winnings was published in Gulf News, Nisha states that people started recognising them in public places. For the family, it is a great feeling and they are still “overwhelmed with this gift”.
