Temple clerk Ananthu becomes millionaire after winning Rs 12 crore in lottery

Kochi, Sep 21: How it will feel if out of nowhere someone becomes millionaire that too by hitting a lottery jackpot at the age of 24?

Ananthu Vijayan from Idukki is also all surprised to know that he has become a millionaire by winning first prize of Rs 12 crore.

Vijayan won the first prize worth Rs 12 crore of Thiruvonam Bumper lottery of the state government. As soon as knowing the result of the lottery, Ananthu sought advice from the lottery agency.

On Sunday, Kerala government announced the Thiruvonam Bumper 2020 lottery winner.
Vijayan is a native of Idukki's Thovala at Kattappana, and had been working as a clerk at Ponneth Temple in Ernakulam's Kadavanthra.

He hails from a humble family which includes his parents and two siblings. His father works as a painter and his sister, who was previously employed as an accountant at a private firm in Kochi, lost her job during the lockdown, according to a News 18 report.

"It took hours for me to come out of the shock when I saw that my ticket won the first prize", Vijayan expressed his shock.

"I could not even sleep at night. After learning about the result, I straight away called my family back in Idukki. But even the family took a while to believe that I really won Rs 12 crore."

Though its not the first time that the boy won lottery, he had in the past won Rs 5,000.
The family had been reportedly trying for government aids to repair their 55 year old house which is in shambles. Though they applied for aid under the Life Mission project, reportedly they didn't get it sanctioned. His house is located on a hilltop in Thovala in Kattappana, a region with severe water scarcity issues. With no source of drinking water, the family has to buy water for even household purposes.

Though Ananthu has many issues to tackle, he says that he is not planning anything yet, until he really gets the money on hand and that he will not stop his work.

According to reports, after deducting the taxes and agency commission, Ananthu will receive Rs 7.56 crore in total.