/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176431063525544678.webp)
A pristine beachfront villa on Mahe Island, Seychelles , once the quiet retreat of Ratan Tata , is officially on the market, and the only serious buyer in sight is the man who helped Tata buy it in the first
place. The late Tata Group patriarch had willed the property to RNT Associates, his Singapore-registered startup fund. Independent valuers appointed by the executors pegged its worth at just Rs 85 lakh. But sources close to the deal, cited by TOI, say Aircel founder C Sivasankaran, 69, and his family are prepared to pay $6.2 million , a staggering Rs 55 crore , for the villa. According to TOI, when reached out, Sivasankaran played coy: “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Insiders, however, confirm talks are advanced, though no binding agreement has been signed yet.A Friendship That Bent the RulesSeychelles law allows only citizens to own land. Ratan Tata, a foreigner, was granted a rare exception because of his stature as a global industrialist and philanthropist. It was Sivasankaran , a Seychelles citizen himself , who facilitated the original purchase years ago. Their bond went far beyond real estate. For seven straight years, Sivasankaran visited Tata’s simple 3-BHK flat in Mumbai’s Bakhtawar building every morning at 7:15 sharp, often catching the legend mid-workout. One famous anecdote: on a flight from Singapore to Seychelles when an engine failed, Sivasankaran frantically emailed his son his Gmail password. Tata’s response? A calm “Let the pilots do their job.”That friendship also pulled Sivasankaran into Tata’s telecom venture in the early 2000s.The Money TrailIf the deal closes, every rupee will be split 50:50 between the Ratan Tata Endowment Foundation and the Ratan Tata Endowment Trust, as directed by the Bombay High Court order that probated Tata’s will on 16 June 2025.The Rs 55 crore offer is 65 times the official valuation , a premium that speaks volumes about the emotional and symbolic value of the property.Sivasankaran’s son Saravana (41), founder of Marlo Technologies, is also involved and the family wants the villa delivered free of any construction dues or tax liabilities.The Buyer’s Own RollercoasterOnce a $4-billion tycoon who owned two private islands in Seychelles, Sivasankaran is now fighting bankruptcy proceedings in the island nation’s Supreme Court. “I’m not poor , I’m broke,” he recently told reporters with a wry smile. Yet he insists the case will be resolved in his favour soon.End of an EraTata’s Seychelles chapter is closing: Taj once managed Denis Island post-2004, and Tata Motors supplied vehicles (Seychelles even issued a 1982 commemorative stamp in its honour), but both companies have long exited the country.For Sivasankaran, buying the villa would be poetic justice , from the friend who made the impossible purchase possible to the man who now brings it home. Talks continue. When , or if , the deal is inked, it will be one more quiet, full-circle moment in the extraordinary life of Ratan Tata.
