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A home of their own
Lady luck smiles on a young family who lost all their belongings to the tsunami

By Dhananjani Silva
“Home is where the heart is” they say, and like most married women, Sudarshani Kumari too dreamt of having a home of her own someday, where she could make the perfect environment for her little family of two daughters and loving husband. Yet, she had no house of her own, which is why after having lived with their parents in Kegalle, she and her husband Priyantha Kumara decided to rent out a house in Koralawella, Moratuwa.

But it was in Moratuwa that the life of this innocent couple changed dramatically, as the tsunami that wrecked the lives of many, swept away their home and belongings, leaving them virtually destitute.

But only a year later, fortune smiled and just as hard times had befallen them, their lives were about to take yet another unexpected twist. When, the first draw of the Nespray Kirikedella was held on March 7 at the BMICH, Sudarshani was picked as the lucky winner of a house at Millennium City, Athurugiriya.

“That was the first time I entered a raffle draw and winning the house was the last thing on my mind. But when I saw the TV commercial I wanted to take part in the competition too, because we didn’t have a house. So I sent a coupon for the month of February,” Sudarshani said in an interview with The Sunday Times at the housewarming ceremony.

“When I saw the letter asking us to come to the BMICH, I did not have any idea as to what the main draw was. All I understood was that I had won the cash prize of Rs 10,000 and that I was eligible for the main draw. But when I faced the competition and became the winner of the house by picking up the correct key, I couldn’t believe it. I felt extremely happy,” she said.

Nespary launched two promotions: one, a daily draw where the winner is awarded a cash prize of Rs.10,000 and secondly the monthly draw of the grand prize where the lucky winner is chosen from the daily winners and receives the grand prize of a house at Millennium City, Athurugiriya.
“The main draw was held on March 7 at the BMICH and that was our first visit to the BMICH. Since we went back to Kegalle after the tsunami, we had to come to my sister’s house in Moratuwa the previous night to go to the BMICH on 7th morning. But all that effort was not in vain, and we hope the lucky winner at the next draw too will be someone deserving like us,” Priyantha Kumara said with a smile on his face.

Thirty-year-old Priyantha Kumara has no stable job and works as a labourer. It is with the little money he earns that he supports his family of two daughters who are seven and one-and-a-half years of age.

The ceremony to hand over the house to Sudarshani and Priyantha was held at the Millennium City in Athurugiriya last Tuesday. The happy family moved in to their new house, observing all the rituals and boiling milk at the auspicious time. The event took place with the participation of their friends and relatives, along with the Nespray Management.

The single-storied detached home which overlooks a children’s play area is worth of Rs. 2.8 million and has two bedrooms, a living and dining room, kitchen, bathroom, verandah and a six-perch landscaped garden.

Senior Brand Manager of Nestle, Ruwan Welikala, said that the lucky winner of the Millennium City House being a tsunami victim made the first draw extremely special, as she is a truly deserving person.

“A house is something very valuable and when this family got the house, it gave us great satisfaction,” he said.

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