S Balakrishnan Column: 'I felt like a teenager on a blind date'

Going to my first public auction was a little unnerving I started off from my home in Chembur to the auction venue Hotel Diplomat in Colaba quite early in the morning as we bidders were told to reach the venue one hour before auction time 10 am to be precise The auction was to start at 11 amI felt like a teenager on a blind date on that cab ride simply because I did not know what to expect Maybe a blind date with a difference because I did not even know if I was to meet a girl or a boy When I decided to bid for Rounaq Afroz a hotel in Pakmodia Street Bhendi Bazaar ndash incidentally it is called Hotel Zaika Delhi now ndash I had not even seen the propertyI was quite determined though to win the bid my resolve further strengthened after I got a threat SMS by DCompany from Pakistan a couple of days ago The threat stated that I must stay off the auction and that I am virtually committing suicide by bidding for the property I thought it was absurd that somebody can dictate terms and instil fear sitting in Pakistan And that too from a man who had destroyed this city in 1993 I wanted to prove that I am not afraidTo come back to that cab ride first I thought it prophetic in some way that my cab number was 786 which is a lucky number for Muslims Then yesterday was 9th which incidentally is a lucky date for meI reached Hotel Diplomat by 10 am and was ushered into the first floor Noble Hall after a stringent security check It was nostalgia time for me because I used to go to Diplomat so often for excellent Punjabi food and genuine drinks Now I do not drink or smoke but that was a homecoming in a wayWe the bidders were served lsquochairsquo not very good I may add and at 11 am sharp the auction began There were seven properties on the auction block with the sixth being for Dawoodrsquos Hotel Rounaq Afroz There was one other bidder for this property which was the Dawoodi Bohra Trust The reserve price was Rs 118 crore after which it started climbing 19 20 21 my heart was hammering nowThe Bohra Trust stopped at Rs 427 crore and I heaved a sigh of relief I knew if it had gone much higher I who was bidding for my NGO the Desh Seva Samiti serve the nation would not be able to match that I offered Rs 428 crore and to my pleasant surprise that was the last bidWe exited Diplomat at 1230 pm after a lunch by the good Gujju auctioneer Ashwin Shah Post that I was engulfed by the media when I exited Then I went to the Press Club near Azad Maidan for tea and at 4 pm we were back at Mittal Court Nariman Point for final results There were bids by ebidding and sealed tenders too There was an ebid of Rs 152 crore and a sealed tender of Rs 252 crore for the same Of course I was declared the winner thenThere is elation but exhaustion too it has been such a hectic day and never have I spoken so much Everybody media wants a quote If you sing the same song again and again you get tiredAnyway now I will appeal for funds to raise this money of Rs 428 crore I do have some time to raise this sum I have already paid R30 lakh at the time of entering as a bidder I know I can raise this sum through appeals There will be no commercial activity in this property I plan to impart computer literacy to kids in the Bhendi Bazaar area through the Desh Seva SamitiAnyway that is all for later tonight I will sleep like a person who knows it is mission accomplishedS Balakrishnan is a former journalist and chairmanfounder of the Desh Seva Samitimdash As told to Hemal Ashar