“My wife said I’ll never win”: Indian expat proves her wrong with Big Ticket gold after 30 years

After three decades in the UAE and many years of trying his luck in Big Ticket draws, Indian expat Nagarajan Venkataraman finally struck gold. The longtime Abu Dhabi resident won a 250g 24K gold bar in the Big Ticket weekly e-draw with ticket number 241818.

But when show host Richard called to break the news, Nagarajan almost didn’t believe it. He recognised the voice, but after years of receiving sales calls, it was a too-good-to-be-true moment.

“You are Richard, isn’t it? I do recognise your voice, but this is the first time I am getting a call from you. So far, I have been getting calls from Big Ticket asking me to buy more tickets. But this is the first time I have won. This is fantastic news!”

‘My wife never believed I would win’

Nagarajan, who comes from Chennai and now works as a consultant in Abu Dhabi, said the win was extra sweet because of a running joke at home.

“My wife keeps telling me, ‘You will never win’,” he laughed. “But I always tell her: ‘You have to give luck a chance. If you don’t try, you will never know whether you are lucky or not.’ I just can’t wait to call my wife and tell her I won.”

Finding Abu Dhabi in atlas

Nagarajan moved to the UAE in 1994, long before smartphones and online maps made travel simple.

“When I first came to Abu Dhabi, I didn’t even know where it was,” he said.
“In the part of India where I grew up, we knew Dubai and Sharjah. Dubai was well known even during those days, and Sharjah because of the cricket stadium. For Abu Dhabi, my wife and I looked it up in an atlas because there was no Google Maps then. It has become my home since then.”

More luck coming?

Despite his long-awaited win, Nagarajan isn’t done playing Big Ticket.

“I buy almost every month,” he said. “I will probably buy some more tickets and see if my luck goes further. I hope to hear from you again,” he told Richard.

His winning ticket will return to the main drum for the upcoming Dh25 million grand prize draw on November 3.