In just a few months from now, one of the country’s best stud farms will down its shutters, as the lease held by Vijay Mallya comes to an end and the Government is in no mood to renew it.
One of Mallya’s many prized possessions, which he took on a lease in 1992, the farm dates back 200 years -- its history canters all the way to Tipu Sultan, whose horses used to be bred there.
No wonder, it was an arch symbol of his self-aggrandizing streak. But it’s a genuine thing unto itself too, and that’s why it’s a tragedy.
“It has seen some of the best-bred horses in the country. It is unfortunate that we are left here like this,” says Zeyn Mirza, MD of URBBL.
At the height of his success, Mallya was a serial buyer with a king’s insatiable appetite: nothing that caught his eye was to be impossible for him to buy. He owned a cricket team (Royal Challengers), became the main backer of a Formula 1 team (Force India) and, even when questions were being raised about his airline, he entered into a joint venture with a private developer to build a chic mall in the heart of Bengaluru, the likes of which the city had not seen before.
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Perhaps his carefully cultivated image of a ‘king’ was more than just an image: he perhaps began believing in it.
Mallya, with his trademark flair and penchant for drama, secretly acquired a sword that belonged to Tipu Sultan, announcing it to the world in a dramatic press conference.
He also bought items that belonged to Mahatma Gandhi, like his spectacles, by paying a whopping 1.8 million in US dollars in 2009.
For his flights, he had a private jet. For his marine sojourns, he had a luxury yacht and for his road travels, he amassed a fleet of vintage cars.
“People in his office would introduce him to many big stars. Of course, there were flings too,” said a close confidant.
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In 2012—a bad year for Mallya’s business, RCB brought on board Australian all-rounder Andrew McDonald, paying a transfer fee of $100,000.
“He went on investing. He bought the Kingfisher Villa in Goa and properties abroad. His investments were mainly in cities abroad and most of them unknown to many,” said his advocate on condition of anonymity.