Historic Bhabha Mansion to go under the hammer

J J Bhabha mansion, the sprawling 15,000-sq-ft house where Homi J Bhabha , the father of India’snuclear energy programme, spent most of his growing years, has been put up for sale.

After Bhabha passed away in 1966, the bungalow’s only occupant was his brother, Jamshed J Bhabha , doyen ofthe National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), India’s premiere cultural institution.

However, with the younger Bhabha brother passing away in 2007, the house is in the process of being auctioned,and real estate sources say the Malabar Hill property is worth at least Rs 250 crore at current market rates. Jamshed Bhabha passed away at 93, and leaves no heirs behind to lay claim to the property.

In his will, discovered three years after his death, he left almost his entire estate—his Mumbai bungalow and a priceless art collection—to the institution he set up 44 years ago. The will is learnt to have been drawn up 20 years ago.

The 3-storeyed J J Bhabha Mansion is on Little Gibbs Road, Malabar Hill Area: 1,500 sq m (roughly 15,000 sq ft) Available FSI: 1.33 (falls under CRZ 2) Four rooms on each floor Overlooks Hanging Gardens Huge open garden, servants’ quarters.

It is being executed by Mumbai law firm Vigil Juris, which will soon invite public bids. The law firm is also listing an inventory of Bhabha’s assets, including antique furniture and fixtures, paintings and rare research works of older brother Homi, founder of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Proceeds from the estate’s sale, worth hundreds of crores, will be donated to NCPA.

The over half-century-old mansion has four rooms on each floor, a private library, a study and a verandah overlooking Hanging Gardens, where Bhabha hosted parties for the culturati. Real estate sources say the property will evince huge interest from realty players and industrialists.