Sachin Tendulkar moves into his new dream house

Sachin Tendulkar Wednesday fulfilled his long cherished dream of living in a house of his own as he moved into a sprawling bungalow at Perry Cross Road in suburban Bandra here.

Tendulkar has shifted his residence from La Mer Housing Society, also in Bandra west, to the spacious villa that is spread over 6,000 square feet.

"Everyone has a dream of owning a house. I, too, had this dream. I am happy that I was able to fulfil it. The flat where I earlier used to live, I had received it under the sports quota. I have now vacated that place, so that some other sportsman can live there," he told reporters outside his villa here today.

"We had done the 'gruha shanti' and 'vastu-puja' on June 11, before I left for England. I could not visit Mumbai after that, but now that I am in the city, today I brought my mother to show the place," the senior cricketer said.

"I have also lived here after the puja. But I have not been able to bring the children here yet," he said.

The batting maestro's new home has been reconstructed on a plot that earlier housed a dilapidated bungalow, which Sachin had bought for Rs39 crore in 2007.

The villa has been secured with high-walled fencing to avoid curious onlookers. CCTV cameras and sensors have also been installed.

Besides the three storeys above the ground level, the villa, designed after taking into consideration Tendulkar's likes and dislikes, reportedly has two underground basements.

According to sources close to Tendulkar, 90 per cent of the shifting process has been completed.