24-year-old Idukki native wins Kerala Onam lottery worth Rs 12 crore

On Sunday, Kerala government announced the Thiruvonam Bumper 2020 lottery with first prize as Rs 12 crore.
Ananthu Vijayan
Ananthu Vijayan
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Hours before the results of the Kerala government’s Thiruvonam Bumper 2020 lottery were announced on Sunday, 24-year-old Ananthu Vijayan had joked to his friends that this time he will be the first prize winner. Though he laughed at his own joke along with his friends, hours later on Sunday evening, when he finally cross checked his ticket with the results, Ananthu was bewildered. The Idukki native youth, had indeed turned a crorepati, winning the first prize, Rs 12 crore.

A native of Idukki’s Thovala at Kattappana, Ananthu had been working as a clerk at Ponneth Temple in Ernakulam’s Kadavanthra. He hails from a humble family which includes his parents and two siblings. His father works as a painter and his sister, who was previously employed as an accountant at a private firm in Kochi, lost her job during the lockdown, reports News 18 Malayalam.

‘It took hours for me to come out of the shock when I saw that my ticket won the first prize’, Ananthu told News 18 Malayalam. I could not even sleep at night, he added. Ananthu says, after learning about the result, he straight away called his family back in Idukki. But he adds that even the family took a while to believe that he really won Rs 12 crore.

Ananthu had bought the ticket -- BR 75 TB 173964 -- from a Tamil Nadu native man Azhakachamy, who sells lottery tickets along a roadside in Kadavanthra, reports Malayala Manorama. According to reports, after deducting the taxes and agency commission, Ananthu will receive Rs 7.56 crore in total.

Apparently, Ananhtu’s father had also taken the Thiruvonam Bumper lottery. But though he didn’t win any prize for the ticket, the family is on cloud nine on learning that Ananthu won the first prize. Ananthu had in the past won Rs 5000 from lottery.

The family had been reportedly trying for government aids to repair their 55 year old house which is in shambles. Though they applied for aid under the Life Mission project, reportedly they didn’t get it sanctioned. His house is located on a hilltop in Thovala in Kattappana, a region with severe water scarcity issues. With no source of drinking water, the family has to buy water for even household purposes.

Though Ananthu has many issues to tackle,the youth says that he is not planning anything yet, until he really gets the money on hand and that he will not stop his work.

Meanwhile, six others received the second prize worth Rs one crore, of the Thiruvonam Bumper lottery.

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