The 1960 H.R. Charities Sikkim Raffle Lottery

Sikkim’s history is full of surprises! Just when you think you know everything, a new discovery appears. I recently found an old receipt for a "Sikkim Raffle" from the year 1960. It was organized by the H.R. Charities Fund in Gangtok. The back of the paper even showed photos of past winners receiving drafts for Rs 45,000, which later increased to Rs 75,000.

What is really interesting is where these prizes were given. Even though the raffle was from Sikkim, the winners were presented with their prize money in big cities like New Delhi and Kanpur. This shows that the raffle was very popular even outside of the mountains. The money was guaranteed by Sikkim’s government bankers and paid through the State Bank of India in Darjeeling.

The raffle was officially allowed by both the Government of Sikkim and the Government of India in 1959. This makes it a very important piece of history. It shows that Sikkim had a very organized way of raising money for charity a long time ago. However, I found something very strange when I was reading an old magazine from the future.

A magazine called Kanchenjunga from 1972 says that the "first" lottery draw in Sikkim happened on April 4, 1972. It says the top prize was Rs 1,00,000 and a famous car called an Ambassador. The second prize was even more exciting: two winners got Rs 10,000 and a plane trip all the way from India to America!

http://sikhim.blogspot.com/2008/12/first-lottery-draw-in-sikkim.html