Winner of 'Dubai Idol' flies home to be with his family

One of the winners of this year's 'Western Union Camp Ka Champ' (Champ of the Camp) has cashed in his prize of a flight to go home and celebrate Diwali with his family.

Twenty-six-year-old security guard Dhruv Bakshi, from Haryana, and his signing partner emerged victorious from 3,000 entrants, from 80 labour camps, at last month’s finals of the singing contest, popularly known as ‘Dubai Idol’.
 
Speaking to 7DAYS from his hometown Ambala, the champion crooner said: “I feel so lucky to be home with my parents for Diwali. It’s the best use of my prize. If I hadn’t got this ticket, I could never even think about going home at this time.”
 
Bakshi said he was thrilled to return home a hero in his family’s eyes.
 
“I feel this is the first time I made my family proud of me,” he said. Describing himself as a “regular bathroom singer”, Bakshi added: “My parents feel so grateful that I achieved something doing what I love, which a lot of people can’t. I feel that’s the best thing I did - that I utilised my hobby at the right time.”
 
The guard said he also took his other prizes home to his loved ones.
 
“I wanted to use my prize money to give my family the best presents possible this Diwali - and even more than they can ever imagine. I also took the LCD TV I won home for them as well as hard copies of the all newspapers that wrote about me,” he said. Meanwhile, Bakshi’s family told 7DAYS they were thrilled. His mother Poonam said: “We are all so grateful to have our son home for the festive season. This is a time for family to be together.”
 
The guard revealed he plans to use the rest of his winnings to invest in driving lessons to boost his career prospects. “I can fulfill my singing dreams later on. But for now I have to work, which is what I’ve come to Dubai for,” he said. But he is also already preparing for next year’s competition. “Beware of me - I’ll practise hard and see you next year,” he said.
 
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