Dishanta Sarma with his sister Dipakshi and mother Juri in Disneyland, Hong Kong

Calcutta, July 23: Three days of relentless TV viewing earned Dishanta Sarma a ride to Disneyland in Hong Kong with his family.

The eight-year-old from Guwahati was the only winner from the Northeast among 30 children chosen by Disney Channel from across India to fly to the popular resort with their families.

The second edition of the contest, called Jet Set 2, generated 8.3 million entries. But Dishanta was determined not to miss out. “My son had won this contest last year too but since he did not have a passport his name got cancelled. We really had tears in our eyes,” his mother Juri said.

Open to children aged between four and 14 years, the contest required one to call a unique toll-free number being flashed on screen on spotting an aeroplane each time on the channel during the contest period.

For 30 days, the highest scorer of points of the day was selected as the winner, thus giving the TV channel its 30 winners.

Dishanta, a Class III student of Delhi Public School, Guwahati, divided his TV vigil with elder sister Dipakshi who studies in Class VI in the same school.

The contest was open from 8.30am to 10.30pm. “We took turns while one of us to bathe or eat. The Bihu vacation was on, so we did not have to miss school,” says Dishanta.

Since only one correct call from a phone made on the unique number would be registered each day, they were equipped with three phones — one belonging to their mother and two to their father.

They hit the jackpot within three days. When the good news came a month later, the family of four from Bamunimaidam was ready to take off for Hong Kong — in a special Jet Airways flight with Disney characters painted on the exterior.

With them were the lead cast of popular Disney Channel shows like The Suite Life of Karan & Kabir and Best of Luck Nikki.

The two days spent at the resort were a dream come true for Dishanta. “I took eight rides. My favourite was Mystic Manor.” In the ride, Albert, a nobleman’s monkey, touches an ornate music box that releases magic dust to bring inanimate objects in the manor to life. “It was quite scary,” he says.

Dishanta also enjoyed Grizzly Gulch, in which an electric carriage took them on a rocking rail ride. But he stayed away from RC Racers, a 27m-high U-shaped coaster. “Only my mother and sister went on it.”

“Actually Dishanta did not make the minimum height of 120cm required to go on the ride,” Dipakshi added.

She also loved watching a 4D film called Mickey’s Philhar Magic. “When a cake came floating on screen, we actually tried to grab it,” she laughs.

Back now in Guwahati, all set for school to reopen, the eight-year-old is yearning to revisit Disneyland. “There are so many rides left,” says Dishanta. But sister Dipakshi has set her sights higher. “I want to visit the original Disneyland in Orlando, US,” she says with a smile.