‘No more sacrificing dreams for survival’: Dh100m winner Sriram Rajagopalan writes emotional letter to Emirates Draw

Chennai: Sriram Rajagopalan, the retired Indian expat and first global winner of Emirates Draw’s Mega 7 Dh100 million grand prize, has penned an emotional letter to the lottery company that changed his life.
Emirates Draw revealed the identity of Sriram on Thursday, more than two months after he hit the $27 million global jackpot on March 16.

Now back home in Chennai in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, after years of working as an engineer in Saudi Arabia, Sriram shared a heartfelt note that has been released in a new video by Emirates Draw.

In the letter, the 56-year-old father of two recalls the life-altering moment he received the phone call confirming his win.

“My world stopped,” he writes. “I couldn’t breathe. My hands shook. My heart beat so fast, I thought time itself had frozen as I heard the words that changed my life forever. ‘You are the winner of Dh100 million!’”

He wondered: “Could this really be happening? Was this real?”
He continued: “Even now, days later, it still feels like a dream; a dream I never thought could come true.”

Mother’s smile

But beyond the money, Sriram says he received the most meaningful gift when he saw his mother smile.

“She’s 88 years old, and I have never seen her like this before… Her face, once tired from life struggles, now glows with happiness. All my life, I have only wanted to see her happy, and now she is. She held my hand and whispered: ‘This is God's blessing.’ That moment alone was worth more than all the money in the world,” he wrote.

Coincidentally, Sriram’s windfall came just a day after his birthday and six days after his mother’s.

The father-of -two said the win has transformed his household into one filled with joy.

“My wife and children are happier than ever. Our home is filled with laughter and the dreams that now feel real. The struggles we carried for years are gone. We can finally dream freely.”

‘You gave us a future’

In a moving close to his letter, Sriram thanked Emirates Draw for changing his family’s destiny.

“Emirates Draw, you haven’t just changed my life; you have given me a new one. No more sleepless nights filled with worry. No more sacrificing dreams to survive. Because of you, my family will never have to struggle again. Because of you, we have a future.”

He shared his inexplicable gratitude, saying: “No matter how many times I say thank you, it will never be enough. You made me a millionaire!”
Signing off with a nod to the way the host addressed him in their first call, he wrote:

“With all my heart,
‘DEAR MILLIONAIRE’ as you called me in that first call.
– S”

Emirates Draw, operated by Tycheros in the Isle of Man and now available in 175 countries, continues to release behind-the-scenes stories of its biggest win yet. In another video, it has shared the winner reveal call in which an emotional Sriram struggled to comprehend his life-changing win.

Emirates Draw has shared with Gulf News pictures from the prize distribution ceremony, showing the ceremonial cheque being handed over to Sriram.

The draw had ceased its UAE operations in early 2024 following updated regulatory guidelines from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), which now oversees the newly licensed The UAE Lottery.