P.A. Askar, a fish seller from North Paravur in Ernakulam district, won the first prize of ₹70 lakh in the Akshaya lottery draw on Wednesday.
On Saturday, he was on his toes, selling fish to retail customers as usual despite fortune smiling at him. He said he would continue selling fish, as it had sustained him and his family for long. He added that he was in debt, having availed a loan from a service cooperative bank to build his little home at Paravur, and that the money would also go into servicing the debt.
Mr. Askar said the pandemic had added to his difficulties, pointing to the serious disruption in business.
He usually would take fish stocks from Munambam harbour and sell them to retail customers, which helped him sustain his family comprising his father, mother, wife, and a son. His daughter had been married off.
Mr. Askar said he had been a regular buyer of lottery tickets and usually bought four to five tickets on a daily basis. While he used to win small cash prizes in the past, the first prize has come as a huge surprise, he added.
