DUBAI // Shyam Shewaramani always listens to the advice offered by "the boss" of the household - his wife Kavita. And his excellent sense paid off when Mrs Shewaramani's chance entry in a prize draw made the couple overnight millionaires.
The Shewaramanis, an Indian couple who have been married for 32 years, hit the jackpot last month after opening an account at a bank in Dubai and winning a Dh1 million cash prize draw.
"Once the lady decides, no one can stop her," said the textiles entrepreneur, 55. "I always give her whatever she wants and I don't argue with her."
Mrs Shewaramani said she only wanted to open a safety deposit box at the bank but could not resist the temptation to enter the draw. The next day, she transferred all her funds to the bank.
"I called Shyam to tell him about the account and he wasn't too sure, but I insisted there was a draw taking place," she said. "So he said, 'do as you please' and thought nothing of it."
Mrs Shewaramani then travelled to China to visit one of her two sons.
Her husband learnt of the windfall when a friend called him early one morning soon afterwards. "He said, 'get up, you won a million dirhams!' So I told him to shut up, let me sleep and hung up the phone. I never buy any lottery tickets and I'd completely forgotten my wife had," said Mr Shewaramani.
The friend persisted with phone calls and convinced Mr Shewaramani to check the newspaper, where Mrs Shewaramani was named as the winner.
"I screamed when I saw her name in the paper and I tried to contact her for four hours to no avail," he said.
"She was out shopping with our daughter-in-law, who had put her phone on silent."
Mrs Shewaramani said that when her husband finally reached her, "he was angry but excited at the same time. He told me I won and I couldn't believe it".
She went on: "I am quite a neutral person. I was happy but he was more on top of the world than I was."
Mr Shewaramani said it was up to his wife to decide what to do with the winnings as it was her encouragement that led to the prize. He said he considered himself lucky to have her as a wife.
"She is the boss of the house. Everything I have since I got married is thanks to her and I am proud to be her husband. All she does is talk and I always listen."
Mrs Shewaramani said she will send the interest raised from half the proceeds every year to a charity in India she has been a part of for the past 18 years.
"It's called Maharaj Jagat Singh Medical Relief Society in Punjab and they do a lot of good deeds for the poor," she said.
"Although I do plan on spending money on my family, I also want to help the less fortunate ones."
