A tale of lottery winners

There must be few other earth-shakingly thrilling moments in life than being told that you have won a massive lottery jackpot. In fact, the first-person accounts of many lottery winners detail a similar sequence: wild joy followed by doubt about the authenticity of the news given to them.

The winner of the Onam lottery festival in Kerala this September is a 32-year old autorickshaw driver from Thiruvananthapuram. On 18 September, Anoop was told that he had won a mind boggling ₹ 25 crores. After tax deductions and the lottery agent’s commission, Anoop will receive ₹15.75 crore. The Kerala government which monitors the lottery schemes in the state under strict regulations, has offered to give him  financial management lessons in regard to the winnings. 

However, Anoop’s disbelieving happiness lasted only until the news began spreading widely and quickly. He was besieged literally and figuratively with requests for financial help on all sides by those he knew and those who were complete strangers. So much so, that in the interviews he gave in late September to the media, he said that he had to flee from one relative’s house to another to escape these people. 

“I wish I hadn’t won,” were his sad words. On second thoughts, he says he would have been content with the third prize.

We do not know what the state of Anoop’s affairs are at present. But the change from extreme joy to such a sense of helplessness would have certainly made a philosopher of most people. The author may be forgiven a few reflections whilst dwelling on this.

Such examples of everyone avoiding a person who is short of financial resources and in debt only to run after him or her when fortune smiles on them, are not rare. This is similar to the case of people who have struggled and faced humiliation and hardship for years in pursuit of their goals. Whilst they are pursuing their dreams(they are lucky if there is anyone who believes in them), most people around look upon them as time wasters who are deluded. The scenario completely changes, however, when they taste a certain amount of success. Then everyone is suddenly “proud” of them, congratulates them, wants a selfie with them and in short, is a very good friend.

So, it is not the effort that is put in that matters. What does matter is the result of those efforts. 

Another aspect is the definition of “luck”. As the joke goes, don’t merely pray hard that you win the lottery; first buy the ticket. Anoop said in the interview that he had been buying lottery tickets for nearly two decades before he finally won the jackpot. 

Then again, we are often exhorted to share our good fortune. To what extent does one share the good fortune of a lottery jackpot? A little before Anoop’s win, Mohammed Bava a resident of Kasargod in Kerala also won a massive lottery jackpot. Like Anoop, he too was in debt and according to media reports had almost sold his house to fend off debtors. Again, the wise tell us that a person who has a little is more fearful of losing it than the person who has absolutely nothing to lose. The latter finds it easier to be charitable than the first.

Media stories and videos of euphoric lottery winners must also be driving other lottery ticket holders to disappointment and even, extreme frustration. “When will I be in that space?” must be a recurring question. Like the oft repeated line, “Mera number kab ayega?” Those given to moralising could be forgiven for thinking wryly that for every winner there are lakhs and lakhs of hopefuls who turn away disappointed. 

Ultimately, all of us can take inspiration from Louise Hay’s quote: “Life is a lottery that we’ve already won. But most people have not cashed in their tickets.”

Here, too, for those fond of musing and mulling, the part about “already won” might be debatable. What about the millions of people who have been handed cards by fate those are decidedly unfortunate? Can they be accused of not cashing in their tickets when the tickets are duds?

But perhaps we shall reflect on that another time.