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Single mum in Dubai wins Dh1 million, says will fund daughter’s dream education
The computer engineer said she ignored repeated calls, thinking they were spam, only to discover later she had won the Big Ticket prize through a Khaleej Times post
- PUBLISHED: Thu 7 May 2026, 4:10 PM UPDATED: Sat 9 May 2026, 1:45 PM
For Dubai resident Chaitanya Kumari Ramachandran, the Dh1 million Big Ticket prize is not about luxury shopping or lavish celebrations. The single mother already knows where most of the money will go, towards her daughter’s dream of studying law abroad.
“My daughter completed Grade 10 and is now in Grade 11. She wants to study law somewhere in the UK or Australia, so I am planning to use this money for her education,” Chaitanya told Khaleej Times.
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The Dubai-based computer engineer, who has lived in the UAE for 14 years, said she first came to know about the win through a friend who sent her a screenshot of a Khaleej Times post.
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Before that, she had ignored repeated calls thinking they were marketing spam. “I am currently in India, so when they called me, I did not pick up because I thought it might be a marketing call or something,” she said.
“One of my friends from Dubai sent me the screenshot asking, ‘Is this you?’ That’s when I checked my email.”
Even then, Chaitanya struggled to believe the news. “I checked the email two or three times thinking it could be spam. Then I went back to the Big Ticket website again to confirm it was really me,” she said.
“I never imagined I would win Dh1 million. I thought maybe someday I could win Dh25,000 or nothing at all."
Chaitanya said this was only the sixth time she had purchased a Big Ticket. Earlier, she mostly bought tickets together with office colleagues, but this time she purchased the ticket herself.
Speaking about the moment she shared the news, Chaitanya said she first messaged a close friend in Dubai. “She was sleeping at that time, so I just sent her the screenshot,” she said.
She later informed her parents in India, who initially believed she was joking. “They thought I was doing a prank. Then I had to show them the post and explain that it was real.”
Despite the sudden windfall, Chaitanya said she has no major plans for luxury purchases. “I already bought a car in India before winning this prize, so I may close that car loan first,” she said.
Reflecting on her journey as a single parent, Chaitanya said she has learned to value stability more than extravagance. “God has been good enough to give me whatever minimal things I needed,” she said. “I have struggled a bit in between because I am a single parent, so I feel saving money is the best way to secure our future.”
She added that she will continue trying her luck with Big Ticket in the future.
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.