Indian toddler wins brand new BMW in DSS promotion

Issued by the Media Centre of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment
11 August 2014

Two-and-half year old Tanishka from India secures her future in Dubai 

Abilash Ayyapan, a 35-year old Indian expat living in Dubai, can look forward to being a carefree father when it comes to planning for his daughter’s future because Tanishka, his two-and-a-half year-old toddler has secured it herself this Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS). 

While Tanishka  will be considered underage to drive a car of her own just yet, the two-and-a-half-year old has ditched her toys this summer for a brand new BMW that she won at the first draw of the DSS promotion run by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) and  the Dubai Shopping Malls Group. 

Abilash and his wife represented their daughter as the first winners of the exciting promotion, which is offering every shopper who spends a minimum of AED 200 at any of the participating malls, the chance to win up to AED 2 million worth of prizes, including 6 BMW cars and a BMW X5 bumper prize during the final week’s draw.

Following a holiday shopping spree at Oasis Centre, which included buying clothes and perfumes for their upcoming trip to India, Abilash was entitled to raffle coupons and dropped them in the raffle box under his daughter’s name. A few days later, a phone call from the organisers left him completely thrilled after hearing that his daughter had won the mega raffle at the draw held at Reef Mall.

“I was surprised and could not believe it. My family and I are extremely about happy about this. We are heading to India next week and I am looking forward to celebrate with my family in my hometown in Kerala,” said Abilash, who works at his family-owned transportation and logistics company in Dubai. 

Abilash’s daughter has proven to be the good luck charm for her parents right from the beginning. “The only time we won something like this before is when my wife was pregnant with Tanishka. We won some kind of a ‘scratch and win’ promotion then.” 

This time around though, Tanishka has ensured a financially sound future for herself. “I am going to exchange the BMW car for a cash prize and use it towards my daughter’s future. I can’t wait to share this story with her when she grows up a little and begins to understand things better,” added Abilash. 

The malls participating in the campaign this year include Al Ain Centre, Al Barsha Mall, Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, Al Manal Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, Arabian Centre, Bin Sougat Centre, BurJuman Centre, Century Mall, City Walk, Dubai Outlet Mall, Ethihad Mall, Ibn Batuta Mall, Karama Centre, Lamcy Plaza, Madina Mall, Mazaya Shopping Centre, Oasis Centre, Palm Strip Shopping Mall, Reef Mall, Sunset Mall, The Beach, Times Square Centre, Twin Tower, and WAFI. 

The promotion by DFRE, an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and DSMG is part of the excitement awaiting visitors to Dubai during DSS, which will run until 5 September this year, under the theme, “The Fun Side of Summer.”