The case of the missing crorepatis

Lottery winners find it difficult to handle the sudden fame after bagging a handsome jackpot amount; disappear to unknown places, change phone numbers and prefer a life of anonymity

The case of the missing crorepatis

Lottery winners find it difficult to handle the sudden fame after bagging a handsome jackpot amount; disappear to unknown places, change phone numbers and prefer a life of anonymity

While the spotlight continues to be trained on filmmaker Danny Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire, real life millionaires shun the spotlight. Preferring a life of anonymity, they often change their contact numbers and addresses immediately after winning a lottery.

By not leaving any forwarding address, the 50-year-old Panvel resident, a contractor by profession, is following a trend of sorts, among recent cases of those hitting the jackpot.

Rahul Tangi of Playwin, which operates one such popular lottery scheme across Maharashtra, attested to this trend.

It is not just the evil eyeu00a0 but the sudden reappearance of long lost relatives and emotional pressure which compels them to take such a step, lottery operators told MiD DAY. Swimming in moolah, in a scenario where salary and job cuts have become a norm, has added to this pressure of staying away from the limelight, said another operator.

Infact, a cursory search on the Internet also advises lottery winners to do the same. (see box).

Rahul Tangri, of Playwin says, "Winners are troubled by their relatives or friends after winning the jackpot. They tend to change their contact numbers and addresses too because they do not want to get harassed."

MiD DAY tried to track Chintale but hit a road block after contacting his brother, who said Chintale left so soon after receiving the cheque, "because he wants to buy a plot of land in the village." However, he refused to divulge details of the village or any contact numbers.u00a0 "I do not know when he will return. Maybe, after one month or something," he added.

"All the winners prefer anonymity. They want money, but not the name and fame that come along with it," remarked another lottery operator.

Two years ago, Jaiprakash Jaiswal from Kolkata, a scrap dealer in iron, won the biggest ever sum in Playwin's history: Rs 17.29 crore in May 2006. "He did keep in touch with the company post-win, but one day he simply said, 'Mein bahargaon jaa raha hoon' (am going out of town) and has not been in contact since then. We do not know where he is," said G Bakshi of Playwin.

Closer home,u00a0 a sweeper at KEM hospital, Girish Rathod, won Rs 2.09 crore two years ago.u00a0 Last heard, he had moved into another locality in the northern suburbs, where he remained just another face in the crowd.

Apna sapna money money
Certain websites offer advice to lottery winners. One of them says:
>> Advisable to change your phone number to an unlisted one
>> You may have to leave town for a while or even permanently
>> As a winner you may have to meet the media though you may not wish to. It is advisable to get it over with soon
>> Consider several variables before you decide to quit your job.u00a0 Take a leave of absence to decide what you want to do with your life

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