By IANS
New Delhi : The contest was called ‘Chipak ke Jeeto’, and that’s just what Rashmi Sikka did when she stood for three full days with her hand stuck on a gleaming Hyundai i10 – and won it too.
The 27-year-old Sikka had close competition from Amit Kalra during the contest that ended Monday night at a mall in Gurgaon, bordering the national capital. But she bagged the tiebreaker by managing to stand longer than Kalra – with one leg in the air and one palm on the compact car.
Sikka managed the 72-hour feat with just a 30-minute break every three hours. She defeated 24 other contestants to drive home the car.
The unique contest, titled Chipak ke Jeeto, or stick and win, was organised by private radio channel Big FM and carmaker Hyundai Motors at the MGF Mega Mall.
“Ohh…it’s a unique contest and I am on cloud nine after winning it. I just cannot express it,” said Sikka, a software engineer from Faridabad, also on the outskirts of New Delhi.
“I have been standing for three days. I couldn’t sleep, eat or even talk. However, the result has overshadowed all the pain and fatigue,” Sikka told IANS as she clung to her husband.
As the crowds cheered and family members danced with joy, husband Navneet promised a party soon.
His wife, however, had more important things on her mind.
“Once I am at home I shall fall flat on bed and sleep for days. And after getting up, I will go on a long drive with my husband,” she said.
Delhi resident Kalra, who almost got there but faltered when it came to standing on a leg, was not disheartened either: “I will win next time.”
Commenting on the initiative, station director of Big FM Punit Mathur said: “This is a wonderful contest and we have received overwhelming response from listeners across the country.”
“Plans are afoot to make it an annual event. From the business point of view, such contests are also good revenue churners via advertisements,” he said.
Apart from Gurgaon, the contest was simultaneously held in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata where Raj Dongre, V. Krantikumar and Joyto Mandal were declared winners, respectively.
The selection process had begun a month prior to the finals, where 60 participants were short-listed after a radio quiz. The number was scaled down to 25 after the contestants underwent a medical test.