But is this real, or just a hoax? Are consumers being conned into spending that Rs 2 or Rs 5 for the entry form? Into buying that washing machine or car in the hope that you'd be the millionth customer and therefore eligible for whatsoever's going round?

Vikas Chandra, soccer fan and civil engineer from Kanpur, would say these prizes are for real. Winner of the Gillette "Spot the Ball" contest, he has just returned from a whirlwind week in Paris, attending the World Cup finals and other things.

In a telephonic interview, the lucky man is almost beside himself with excitement. "It is really a dream come true, sometimes I pinch myself to be sure it really happened", he laughs.

Forty-three-year-old Vikas is one of those who'd crumple upentry forms rather than scan them. "I would have thrown it away, as is my habit, but my wife persuaded me to fill it in."

Such promotions always have a catch phrase. What was his? "Well, we had to complete the slogan `Gillette is the best a man can get because...' and I wrote: `It's at the cutting edge of good grooming.'"

To commemorate the World Cup, of which Gillette has been a major sponsor since 1978, this contest was announced in 70 countries, with one winner chosen per country. And will he continue to fill in the entry forms? "You bet," Vikas laughs.