Kottayam: The festival of Vishu is celebrated with much gusto as the auspicious day is believed to herald good tidings and prosperity in the year ahead. Aptly, the Kerala government and its lottery department also play a role in making someone a billionaire overnight during the festival season with its popular Vishu Bumper. Like a few other big-ticket lotteries issued on special occasions, the state government's Vishu jackpot is a prime factor in a rags-to-riches tale. But, contrary to popular belief that first-prize winners would be enjoying the high life, a lucky couple in Thiruvananthapuram has chosen to stay grounded despite winning the Vishu Bumper a couple of years back.
Lady Luck came calling on Suresh Kumar and his wife, Sudha Devi, both natives of Chackai in Thiruvananthapuram, during the Vishu of 2016. Suresh, a central government employee and Sudha, who works with the Kerala Public Service Commission, bought the ticket when they were returning after a visit to the Karikkakam Chamundeswari Temple. The couple still believes that it was a gift from God.
Asked how the big prize changed their lives over the two years, Sudha, with a smile, said, “Nothing has changed for us except that we have become financially secure. We no longer borrow money in case of an emergency,” she said.
The couple, along with their only son Ashish, likes to lead a simple life despite winning the jackpot. They haven't quit their jobs even though many persuaded them to do so and pursue some other venture using the prize money. “God gave us our jobs. We don't want to quit it,” Sudha said, adding that she would not even like to retire.
The couple likes to keep their life as simple as before the day of the big fortune. They did not even build a new house with the money – something the house-craving Malayalis can't imagine. “We built our house, a moderate one, in 2002. We didn't want to abandon it. When we won the lottery, we could repay the entire housing loan,” Sudha said.
Sudha still drives her old 2010 model Maruti Alto car while Suresh rides his bike that he bought in 1999.
No new house or vehicles! Then what did they do with the money actually? It is natural for the public to wonder what a lottery winner does and such stories are less heard. The couple we traced revealed they purchased some land using the money. They could also help some build a house or in medical emergency, the details of which they don't want to reveal.
Vishu Bumper was not the first ticket Suresh and Sudha had purchased. Suresh used to buy the Karunya lottery tickets as its proceeds are used for the uplift of the poor. Meanwhile, both have not stopped testing their fortunes yet. “Some people advise us not to buy lottery tickets anymore as the habit would take away their fortune. But there are some who encourage us to take more so that they can also enjoy the fruits of our luck,” Sudha noted in a humble tone.