The late industrialist Ratan Tata's beachfront villa in Seychelles is up for sale. Located on Mahe Island, the largest in the Seychelles archipelago, the property was bequeathed to RNT Associates, Tata's Singapore-registered fund supporting Indian startups, according to his will. While third-party valuers estimated the property's worth at a modest ₹85 lakh, Aircel founder C. Sivasankaran and his family/associates have expressed interest in acquiring it for $6.2 million (approximately ₹55 crore).
According to sources familiar with the matter, discussions have occurred, but a formal agreement has not yet been reached. When contacted by the Times of India, Sivasankaran responded, "I don't know what you are talking about".
Notably, Sivasankaran, a Seychelles citizen, played a crucial role in Ratan Tata's initial acquisition of the property. Seychelles law typically restricts property purchases to citizens; however, an exception was granted to Tata, recognizing his global standing as an industrialist and philanthropist.
If the sale proceeds, the funds will be equally divided between the Ratan Tata Endowment Foundation and the Ratan Tata Endowment Trust, in accordance with a Bombay High Court order dated June 16, 2025, which probated the will. The significant difference between the valuation and the offer from the Sivasankaran family suggests their willingness to pay a premium for the property. Sivasankaran's son, Saravana Sivasankaran, the founder of Marlo Technologies, is also reportedly involved in the matter. The family/associates are seeking the property free of any pending construction dues or taxes.
In 1982, Seychelles issued a commemorative stamp acknowledging Tata Motors' contribution to the island nation's transportation. After 2004, Indian Hotels (Taj) managed the Denis Island property in Seychelles for a period. Currently, neither Tata Motors nor Taj has any business interests in the East African country.
Sivasankaran, 69, has previously spoken about his relationship with Ratan Tata. For seven years, he regularly visited Tata's Mumbai apartment at 7:15 am, spending 45 minutes with him, often finding Tata exercising during these meetings. An anecdote recounted by Sivasankaran involves a flight from Singapore to Seychelles where an engine failed. While Sivasankaran panicked and emailed his Gmail password to his son, Tata remained calm and said, "Let the pilots do their job".
