Chennai: Manikandan immediately decided to purchase the property in Ashok Nagar when he learned that it was the same house where Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, was born and raised.
Reportedly, Sundar Pichai's ancestral home was fully demolished by his father, who bore the expenses, and the plot was handed over to Manikandan to develop a villa.
According to a report in Hindu Business Line, Manikandan, a small-time actor and producer in Tamil Cinema, expressed admiration for the humility of Sundar Pichai's parents rather than claiming ownership of the property.
He was quoted as saying, "Sundar's mother made filter coffee herself, and his father offered me the documents right at the first meeting. I was spellbound by their humility and humble approach."
Manikandan also mentioned that Sundar Pichai's father insisted on not using his son's name to expedite the registration or transfer process.
He stated that Sundar Pichai's father patiently waited for hours at the registration office, paid all the necessary taxes, and then handed over the documents.
The report further revealed that Manikandan is a real estate developer and has already built and delivered approximately 300 homes under his brand, Chellappas Builders.
Apart from being impressed by Sundar Pichai's achievements, Manikandan's decision to buy the Ashok Nagar property was driven by his desire to honor the Google CEO's contributions to the country.
Sundar Pichai, who was born and raised in Chennai, left the city in 1989 to pursue studies in Metallurgical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur.
The report also mentioned that Sundar Pichai's father personally demolished the house, which moved him emotionally since it was his first property.
Manikandan plans to construct a villa on the plot and expects the project to be completed within the next year and a half.