Subramani Balakrishnan: The man who bought Dawood Ibrahim's restaurant

Balakrishnan hopes to transform what was once Dawood's restaurant into a learning centre for underprivileged children

A  recent “blind date” or “adventure”, as he describes it, cost Subramani Balakrishnan Rs 4.28 crore. The journalist-turned-social-worker has not had a chance to look inside an out-of-service restaurant property for which his NGO bid that price. The 45-square-metre space in Bhendi Bazaar, Mumbai, was part of an auction of properties believed to have been seized from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. A sense of nationalism enabled his leap of faith, says Balakrishnan. The 63-year-old now plans to transform the structure into a learning centre for underprivileged children.

Participating in the bidding on December 9 at Hotel Diplomat was in itself a victory, he says. He skipped a previous auction of Dawood’s assets because he was still working as a journalist but kept watch for more such items to go under the hammer. He entered the fray this time, despite SMS threats from the don’s aid, Chhota Shakeel. “I wanted to make a statement. A man cannot sit across the border and dictate terms on who should or should not bid,” says the former crime reporter, “especially not someone who carried out serial blasts and hurt Mumbai.”

But Balakarishnan’s goal will require more than a statement. The starting price in the auction was Rs 1.18 crore. As reports of him being the only contender surfaced, he was prepared to pay up to Rs 1.25 crore. But other players eventually emerged, hiking the price. Balakrishnan deposited Rs 30 lakh and will have to raise the rest by January 7. “My name is Subramani but right now I have no money,” he jokes in his car on the way from Chembur to South Mumbai for a meeting with potential donors. His calendar is now filled with such meetings.

There are outward hints to Balakrishnan’s faith in nationalism. He answers calls with a “Jai Hind”. He briefly tried his hand at local politics. His NGO, launched a decade ago, is called Desh Seva Samiti. He started it on suggestions from friends who had seen him using his contacts to help those struggling for medical attention or admission in schools. The NGO works for education and gender justice, relying on annual cultural events to raise funds. The English and computer classes he hopes to run in the building on Pakmodia Street, Bhendi Bazaar, will be named after freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan.

The space was once popular as hotel Ronak Afroz, owned by Dawood. Some years after it was forced shut, his brother Iqbal Kaskar is said to have leased it to the owner of Delhi Zaika, a Mughlai restaurant. It operated there from 2010 to 2013. Other properties that reportedly belonged to Dawood were also sold under the Smuggling and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act 1976 and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Prevention) Act 1985 — a battered car and a 350 sq ft room in Mahavir Building in Matunga.

While covering crime, Balakrishnan says he rubbed shoulders with sources in the underworld but also kept them at an appropriate distance. He started his career as an intern for The Times of India in the 1970s, after abandoning ideas of leading his father’s chemicals business. The crime beat was meant for junior reporters but he continued there even after gaining experience. “The underworld economy is an organic part of the Mumbai economy. Covering it offered deep insights into the functioning of the financial capital.” The stories he cherishes are exposés on the Ram Pradhan Committee report and Bal Thackeray’s will.

The ex-journalist’s stint as BMC corporator came after an encounter with Rajiv Gandhi in Mumbai. Smitten with his ideas, Balakrishnan joined the Congress, campaigning for a month in 1985 to win the municipal election in his locality. In his seven-year term, he got a ringside view of urban poverty and the inner workings of civic administration. It was also enough time for him to be disillusioned with local politics and emerging Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, whose foreign origin did not inspire him.

The holiday season lies ahead but Balakrishnan is confident of collecting funds in time. Every day, varying amounts have been received through NEFT and RTGS transfers. A trainee journalist, after interviewing him, handed Rs 101 as contribution. Having seen his clips on a Marathi news channel, a widowed vada-pav seller pledged Rs 5,000 for Balakrishnan’s cause. “It is a big task but I am an incorrigible optimist.”