02 June,2009 08:02 AM IST | | Tushar Joshi
Baichung Bhutia has won Rs 40 lakh as prize money on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. However, the football player plans to donate part of his token prize to various charities. A source reveals that Baichung has planned to donate Rs 1.5 lakh to areas hit by the cyclone, Aila.
Giving ways
Apart from helping the cyclone victims, Bhutia will be giving half the amount from his win to his choreographer Sonia. "Baichung had already decided that he would share half the prize money with Sonia. He owes his success to her. If it wasn't for her choreography, he wouldn't have won the competition."
Sonia Jaffar, who choreographed Baichung says she has plans to start a charity foundation for street kids. "I always wanted to do this, but didn't have the money. Now that I have some money, I want to start this initiative."
Bhutia's decision
When asked about Baichung sharing his prize money she adds, "It was totally his decision to share the winning amount. I refused but he was persistent." Sonia now plans to focus on getting some good film projects under her belt. "I don't want to do anymore television. I took up Jhalak because I wanted to win the show and I ended up doing that!."u00a0u00a0
What damage did the Aila cyclone cause?
Hundreds of thousands of people were stranded with no food, water and shelter, four days after cyclone Aila washed away roads and submerged villages in Bangladesh and India. The cyclone hit parts of coastal Bangladesh and eastern India on Monday, triggering tidal surges and floods and destroying several homes.
