Lottery joy for five-in-a-room family

Saturday, November 11, 2006 posted 05:52 AM EST

The 42-year-old resident of India's financial capital Mumbai (Bombay) became an overnight rupee-millionaire when he won the jackpot - pocketing 20 million rupees ($450,000) a few days ago.

Mr Rathod says he wants to spend the prize money on a new house for his wife and three children and put the rest in fixed deposits for a secure future.

But he also wants to carry on working as a sweeper in the municipal hospital as it is a steady job with a sure source of income.

Secret tickets

Mr Rathod has been buying lottery tickets for three and a half years.

I would spend 10 rupees (22 cents) on a ticket every week. My wife would often scold me for wasting hard earned money on lotteries so I would buy them without telling her."

He said he bought the winning ticket earlier this month and about a day later, when he checked and realised that all numbers matched, he turned numb with shock.

"I couldn't believe my eyes so I told my wife, I think I am a millionaire but I want you to check the numbers for me. She did and said, 'I think you are right'.

"I am happy that I have won so much but I don't want to forget my days when I didn't have enough money to make ends meet. They were terrible days. I worked very hard yet I could not fulfil my family's needs. If I remember my hard times, I will be sensible about the prize money."

Mr Rathod earns 10,000 rupees ($223) a month. But after all his deductions, he only has 1,500 rupees left.

The deductions include repayments on a loan for the deposit for his rented 10x10 square feet room the five family members live in. They have been there for 13 years.

Moved to tears

Not surprisingly, his first priority is a new home.

"Whenever my wife and I would go out, we would look at these tall buildings and wonder if we would ever have a house of our own. Now we will."

He also plans to put money aside for his children's education as well as provide financial assistance to his siblings and their families.

He was moved to tears when he said his mother would finally see some happy days with so much money coming in.

"My father worked with the municipal corporation, as did my mother. She is over 80 years of age yet works as a sweeper in a private building to earn for herself and feed my family. Now she won't have to.

"My colleagues at the hospital tell me I don't need to work anymore, I have become a millionaire but I tell them that this money provided me with food to feed my family and I am never going to give it up."

That may well be a good decision because the prize money is not expected to reach him for three months. Even then he will not get the full amount.

The lottery he won was one run by a private company in Mumbai for the state of Sikkim, hundreds of miles away on the other side of India.

Ten per cent of the winnings will be given to the Sikkim government (most lotteries in India are run by the various state governments), while another 35% will be deducted as income tax.

However, Mr Rathod is not unduly concerned about the tax. For now, he is happy that he can finally afford the bicycle his son has been demanding for sometime.

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