For 38-year-old Sanuja Rajan, the wife of a porter, life has come full circle after enduring hardships all through her life, winning Rs.1 crore in a TV reality show in Kerala.
Ms. Rajan, an assistant at the Thiruvananthapuram Collector’s office, walked away with the prize money on reality show “Ningalkkumaakam Kodeeswaran” (NAK) aired on Asianet TV on Wednesday night.
The graduate answered all the 15 questions correctly and was the first person to win the prize money.
Life for her so far has been “cruel”, but she never gave up and along with her husband and her two children, has been withstanding all the pressures of life.
“Since we belong to different communities, we never got much support from our families. Since I used to read whatever I got, it was the dream of my husband that I get a government job,” Ms. Sanuja said.
“He made me write all the examinations for which I was eligible and the first job I got was that of a conductor with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation here,” she said.
“But my husband did not like the job and when I got my present job about 18 months back, we were all happy,” Ms. Sanuja told IANS.
She lives in the city’s outskirts and the village council helped her to build her small house.
“We have a debt which we will clear once I get the money. I will use a portion of this money to provide for the welfare of my sister-in-law, whose husband has passed away,” she said.
The woman now dreams that now her husband gets a government job. He is in the list of labourers of the Kerala State Electricity Board.
“We all wish and pray he gets it and if he does not make it, we have decided that we will buy a new car and he will drive it as a taxi,” Ms. Sanuja added.
Ms. Sanuja, after the delivery of her son, became paralysed for more than a year, and it was her grit and determination that saw her come back to life.
Another tragedy struck the family when Sanuja’s younger son met with an accident, resulting in numerous surgeries on his leg and hand. Her elder son is in Class 10.
Speaking to IANS from Canada, the anchor of the show, superstar Suresh Gopi, said that he is pleased that Ms. Sanuja has become the first person to win the coveted prize.
“I was so happy for her, because she is one lady whom I feel has fought her way all through her life. She helped me put my signature on a cheque worth Rs.1 crore. I have never signed a cheque for such a big amount,” said Mr. Gopi who is busy taking part in shows in US and Canada.
“I have been told it would take a few more days (for the cheque to be encashed). I am in no hurry because I know today or tomorrow I will get it,” Ms. Sanuja said.
