Vijay Mallya's likely extradition order may strip lustre off his persona embellished with lavish yachts and homes
Variously described as "King of Good Times" or "Branson of Bangalore", the study of the persona called Vijay Mallya is the study of the objects he adored and possessed.
Mallya got what he wanted, most of the times. And then tweaked these objects to show off his part garish, part elegant taste signifying new wealth created in a just-opened up economy.
Take one of his superyachts - the Indian Empress.
With a hull from South Africa and a body from Holland, this 2000 made 95 metre long super yacht was initially called Al Mirqab when owned by the Qatari Royal Family, before being sold to Mallya in 2006 and renamed Indian Empress undergoing extensive interior refitting done in Malta.
The massive yacht is capable of long voyages hosting celebrity-studded parties, like the memorable post-event do after the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul.
Mallya also owned another yacht, the 55 meter long Indian Princess.
"The party started on the second floor with an Indian fashion show. I didn't totally understand why, but one ridiculously hot woman after another paraded onto the dance floor. All I know is that it was way better than any episode of Project Runway. Especially because the champagne was endless from the moment you took your shoes off," says a blog post by one invitee to the Monaco Grand Prix held atop Indian Princess.
Mallya reportedly owned at one point 26 residential properties across the globe. Of particular relevance in today's time, is a $2.4 million penthouse in Trump Plaza in New York.
His other possessions include an island in Monte Carlo and a Castle in Scotland.
Back home, Mallya had his mile-long Kingfisher Villa in Goa which was recently got sold off by banks to recover their dues.
The villa at the Candolim beach village hosted many extravagant parties attended by, among others, players from his IPL team Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Mallya also splurged on things that were priceless but couldn't be consumed.
Namely Tipu Sultan's sword bought from a private auction in London in 2004 and Gandhiji's glasses and pocket watch in 2009 for $1.8 million.
Overtime Mallya turned into an object himself, a sort of human trade mark or a logo for his Kingfisher brand with ever changing hair styles – from leonine to cropped - heavy gold bracelets and large diamond stud earrings.
To foreign celebrities and players, Mallya was the closest approximation of a Maharaja.
Soon, Mallya might get something he doesn't want - an extradition order.
Till then, India would eagerly wait for this fallen Maharaja to return home.
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