Dubai: An Indian mother received an unexpected 38th birthday gift this month in the form of a quarter kilo of gold that she won in a Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) raffle.
Sandhya Karthik had no clue that her husband had filled a coupon in her name in a jewellery promotion organised by the Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG) during the DSF, she said.
The mother of two could not believe her luck when she was told that she had won gold worth almost Dh32,000 (about $8,700) on January 17.
“I had no clue what was happening,” she told Gulf News. “When I was out for dinner, I got a call from an unknown number and didn’t pick up. I only got to know the next day when they called again and I answered. I couldn’t believe it. It is the first time we won something so big.”
The part-time employee never gave much attention to raffle draws unlike her husband, who has been trying his luck for the past 12 years in Dubai.
“My husband becomes enthusiastic when there is a raffle draw happening somewhere, and he always wants to fill coupons. During his last purchase of gold, he filled three coupons and wrote my name on two,” Sandhya the mother of two boys, Shaasvat and Sharat, said.
Her husband, Karthik Rajagopalan, felt there was something lucky about his wife’s birth date after she won a small gold prize in 2016 at a centre in Karama, also on the same day.
“She doesn’t believe in these things. I decided to surprise her without informing her about the coupons I filled, and when she won, she was overjoyed,” Rajagopalan, a supply chain manager, said. “I consider her really lucky, and knowing that last year she won, I wanted to try again this year, and we actually did win.”
He hopes that his wife wins something even bigger next year. “I cannot predict anything, but it is lucky when we do something in her name,” he said.
Sandhya said she will now keep thinking about winning Dh1 million on her next birthday.
“I plan on keeping the gold for now and then converting it into cash. I will also use the money to buy something special for myself,” she said.
The promotion
Gold buyers stand a chance to win up to 34kg of gold worth Dh5 million in 34 days of the 22nd edition of DSF.
The DGJG jewellery promotion for DSF, which runs from December 26 to January 28 under the slogan ‘Shop. Win. Celebrate’, will choose 100 winners for the season, including a mega winner on the final day raffle who can take home one kilo gold.
Three lucky winners will get gold prizes on the rest of the 33 days with the first prize winner receiving 500gm gold, and the second and third lucky winners taking home 250gm gold each.
Customers who purchase gold jewellery worth Dh500 will be entitled to one raffle coupon and customers who purchase diamond jewellery, pearl or watches worth Dh500 will get two raffle coupons to take part in the daily raffle draws. Raffle coupons will be provided by all the participating jewellery outlets, kiosks and all terminals of Dubai Duty Free during DSF.
