Brave heart parents win the Sanskaar Milaye Aapko Apno Se Contest

Living up to its promise of reuniting viewers with their loved ones in any part of the world, COLORS has announced the winner of its Sanskaar Milaye Aapko Apno Se Contest. Mr. Puran Singh Banga and Mrs. Gian Kaur Banga, originally from Amritsar but settled in Mumbai have won the contest and have left on 2^nd May for Phoenix (USA) to meet their son. As a part of the contest, viewers had to share experiences of biding adieu to a dear one gone abroad.

The winners Mr. and Mrs. Banga had only one simple request that is to meet their son for his birthday on May 8^th, who is settled in USA. However, what made their story a heart wrenching and touching one, was the back story that highlighted the struggle of a simple middle class family, with ambitious dreams… until destiny intervened!

Their son Amandeep Singh always dreamt of flying and becoming a pilot hence they decided to take a risk and invested money, broke all their bonds in hope that one day it will all be worth it! But as they say, tragedy strikes untold - in one of his last flights before getting his license papers, Amandeep's plane faced an engine failure and crashed in a local sewage field. Helpless and trapped, Amandeep was rescued after 45 mins with a broken leg, crushed pelvic bone and also had to get his hand fingers amputated. He was in a critical condition for a few days while his parents tried to make ends meet and gather funds for their son's treatment.

The hospital where Amandeep was seeking treatment empathized with his parents and permitted them to pay a part of the overall expense (25 lakh) for a month's treatment. Soon after his discharge with a heavy debt of over 1.5 crores, the family returned to India with a handicapped Amandeep and began the process of healing their son. Adding to his woes, he wasn't liable for the rights of an handicap but as the saying goes every cloud has a silver lining so was the case with Amandeep.

His childhood friend decided to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him no matter what.This gave Amandeep new meaning in his life and he started with a fresh determination to move back to USA. Currently Amandeep's wife is working as a teacher in USA and he is working in a gas station but he has still not lost hope to fulfil his dream... To fly Again..

Now, after 4 years, all that the brave heart's parents wanted was a chance to celebrate their son's life on his birthday and COLORS is fulfilling their wish.

It is for the first time that a channel will introduce a special segment during the show, dedicated to the story and journey of a contest winner. The segment will showcase the meet and greet with the Sanskaar family along with their excitement of meeting their son.

Speaking about the contest, Prashant Bhatt, Weekday Programming Head- COLORS, said, "With this contest, our aim was to encapsulate the theme of the show along with connecting with our viewers. But what we have achieved here is something far more than just bonding, it's making the dreams of a family come true, and there is no greater satisfaction." He further added, "We received an overwhelming response for Sanskaar Milaye Aapko Apno Se Contest The introduction of this contest gave us an opportunity to unite a viewer with their family and bring smiles to their faces".

The heart wrenching story of the winner touched the lead actor of the show- Jay Soni as well. He said, "When I read Amandeep's story, I had tears in my eyes, imagining the tragedy that this family had to face. Following Jai Kishen's character, I could relate to his back story as he had also stepped in US to fulfill his family's dreams. I salute Amandeep's determination and spirit but even beyond that what touched my heart the most, was the never-die-spirit of Mr. and Mrs. Banga who in spite of all the difficulties and hardships did not give up and are even now trying to help their son achieve his dreams and stood by him in all the difficult times. This is what humanity is about and I do not think we could have chosen a better winner for the Sanskaar Milaye Aapko Apno Se Contest."

Glad to be meeting his son after 4 years, contest winner Mr. Puran Singh Banga said, "We are very thankful to COLORS and the Sanskaar, Milaye Aapko Apno Se Contest for giving us a chance to visit our son for his birthday. We just want to be together as a family and our dream has finally come true. It is like a gift from God and I still cannot believe that this is actually happening."