'Mehrangir', the sea-facing three- storey iconic bungalow of Homi J Bhabha, father of India's atomic energy programme, here was today auctioned for Rs 372 crore to a buyer whose identity was kept under wraps.
The bungalow with a built-up area of over 15,000 sq ft on a plot measuring 1,593 sq m in the posh Malabar Hill area in south Mumbai offers a beautiful view of the sea.
The highest bidder, whose identity was not disclosed at his request, landed the sprawling property which went under the hammer at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), its custodian.
The property fetched Rs 115 crore more than the reserve price of Rs 257 crore.
"As per the request of the winning bidder, the identity will not be disclosed at this stage," NCPA said in a release.
There have been persistent demands that the bungalow be turned into a museum. Scientists like CNR Rao have been making a strong pitch for turning "Mehrangir" into a museum by the government as a tribute to the "father of India's atomic energy programme."
Some employees of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) also had recently petitioned the Centre and moved the Bombay High Court against the sale and wanted the bungalow to be converted into an atomic energy museum.
The high court had on Monday refused to grant a stay against the sale, but posted the matter for hearing on June 23, saying the auction could be revoked, if required.
After Bhabha's death in a plane crash near Mont Blanc in January, 1966 while he was on his way to Vienna, Austria, his brother Jamshed, a patron of art and culture, became the custodian of the estate.
On Jamshed's death in 2007, the property was transferred to NCPA, an institution he had nurtured.
