CHENNAI : Parul Agarwal Very recently I moved back to Chennai. After living abroad and living a life with minimal access to private transport I got used to the idea of walking and cycling. Given this money, I would like to promote the activity of walking and cycling in Chennai. Broader roads with provision for pedestrians and cycle tracks will ease the traffic and promote a healthy lifestyle. I am glad that the residents of Harrington Road have taken this initiative forward, but I would like this to be something that is done in the rest of the city too.
Lekha Ravi Huge money spent by the government to build a colossal lavatory for the birds! If I were given such a huge sum to spend, I would make sure all the hospitals are well-maintained with upgraded equipment. I would allocate the remaining money to the Disaster Relief Fund. It’s not hard to understand where you should spend your money. But given the current situation, I think, the next time calamity strikes or a farmer loses his life, we will build another statue.
Roshni Ahuja Even if half the money could make a huge difference to improve the poverty line in India, I would happily donate it. I would invest the other half in a few mansions around the world, buy an aeroplane, all the makeup my heart desires and last but not least, get a personal chef round the clock to whip up my midnight snacks, because hey, I have `1,500 crore, so why not?
Ashraya Kannan I am going to pay my taxes.`3,000 crore would be a field day for the authorities if I tried to hide. Then, allocate `700 crore for investments. I would provide free education for all the underprivileged children as part of my social responsibility. I want to buy a mountain and build a secret base inside it. From all the investments, I can build rockets and hold the world for ransom for more money. Then, the entire mountain would be shaped according to my preference. Probably like what Richie Rich does with his family’s face on the mountain.
Kerri zjoroge I would spend all the money on ghost-hunting equipment and start a company that works around the clock to ensure that all your spooky problems are handled. Forget about poverty and homelessness. What we really need to know is, who is that one lady ghost that haunts every lonely highway is. We would also cover ghost research and rehabilitation This was there will be new jobs, and unemployment will be taken care of.
Zoha Sanofer I will buy my parents a huge bungalow, drive around in an expensive car, and open a restaurant. I will get myself to be on Koffee with Karan, appear in a cameo in the next Avengers film, travel the world in my private jet, buy an island and build my own chain of resorts. Also, now that I am rich, I shouldn’t forget how it felt to be...well, not rich. I will build schools and companies. Now that the economy is booming, thanks to me, do I not deserve a statue? I shall put it right outside my bungalow.
Chandana S If I received a sum of `3,000 crore, I would get a little insecure because I would have to prioritise my dreams that are nearly going to be fulfilled. But firstly, I would get my dream house in Mumbai’s posh neighbourhood Juhu, which would cost around `70-`100 crore. Then, with the `2,900 crore in hand, I would donate `700 crore to the NGOs that require funds. The remaining `2,200 crore would be enough for me to save and fulfil all my other dreams, that I always thought were impractical.
Kalpana Yuvarraaj This is a huge amount. When the children in rural villages have no access to good health and education, we should look at spending `10 crore for each village to modernise schools, recruit more efficient teachers, train the existing staff, upgrading health centres, sanitation facilities with running water, and good maintenance. UP and Karnataka will have 300 smart villages each if they spend their `3,000 crore and so will Tamil Nadu. This will create a healthy, educated population for the decades to come.
Sunanda Jain If I am given the money, I hope I am not pulled up by any concerned government authorities. I would utilise part of this corpus towards spreading political and financial literacy amongst the youth of India, while providing a platform that’s focused on facilitating vocational training of key skills. I would definitely venture into funding R&D for tech-exploration and for solving critical social issues like Medicare for children, sanitary for women, education etc., On a personal level, I would be relieved to self-fund my education, build my own library for, of course, this is what you do when you’re a bibliophile, purchase a Porsche car (a red one that too) while keeping aside money that secures retirement of my parents.
Sugan Prabhu I would invest `600 crore in equity, `300 crore in real estate, `150 crore in renewable energy, `500 crore in microfinances, `600 crore in businesses that connect farmers to consumers, `600 crore in garment manufacturing business, `100 crore on education, `50 crore on charities, and the final `100 crore on a big farmhouse or aesthetic houses in the world’s best destinations. The above will generate a minimum of 2,500 jobs and that’s my idea of giving back to society.