Restoring a 125-Year-Old Bungalow in Goa: A Publicist’s Journey to Fatherhood
If you had asked Prabhat Choudhary where home was ten years ago, he might have hesitated—hemming and hawing, flicking through a mental slideshow of places he’d visited, and even the homes he had designed for himself across the country—before finally conceding that home was everywhere, and nowhere at all. Today, seated across from me in a hotel café, the 46-year-old PR honcho does none of that. He does not deliver a dialogue on all the cities he’s disembarked in this year, nor does he treat me to a guided tour of his ever-expanding real estate empire. Instead, his gaze stays low, fingers brushing the rim of his cup as he pauses, gathering his thoughts. Then, slowly, deliberately, he begins to speak: “Home is anywhere love is.” The words hang in the air for a moment—a metaphor I later realize refers to his son.
For today, home is a hotel in Bengaluru—chosen so the conversation could take place in person, where I’m based, rather than over Zoom from Mumbai. “I knew that this way, I could say as much as I wanted, in the way I wanted,” he tells me afterwards, with a quiet candour, explaining why he flew down. As the creative mind behind the public relations firm Spice PR—best known for representing celebrities like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Deepika Padukone, amongst others—he is no stranger to a peripatetic life, which, until a year ago, suited him rather perfectly. “Then, when my son was born, I really had to reassess where I wanted to be,” reflects the Bihar native, who until then rotated between his primary residence in Mumbai and his pied-à-terres in New Delhi and Alibaug, all of which he designed himself. Part of that answer was Boa Vista, a 125-year-old bungalow in the picturesque Goan village of Bastora, which he snapped up during COVID and lovingly reimagined, even as Mumbai remained his base.
The ability to acquire properties on a whim is something Choudhary could only have dreamt of as a child. His parents, wed young and struggling to make ends meet, often left him with maternal or paternal grandparents, oscillating between houses and, at times, between a sense of belonging and an unmoored childhood. “I had this insecurity,” he says, lifting his cappuccino. “I’d imagine different homes and picture my mother, my father, and myself living and loving in them.” His habit of buying real estate, then, was less indulgence than instinct—a quiet attempt to give form to a stability he once lacked.
Even so, Boa Vista wasn’t on his radar. “But when I found it online, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to have it,” he recalls, noting his flair for designing—or, in this case, redesigning—beautiful dwellings. With lockdown in full swing and all trains and flights cancelled, he was stuck in Patna and couldn’t visit the property in person. So he did what any reasonable person would: he sent his office boy. “He reached late at night and video-called me from there,” Choudhary deadpans. “I drove down the next day.”
The restoration of Boa Vista was a labor of love, a project that required patience and attention to detail. Choudhary worked closely with local artisans and craftsmen to preserve the bungalow’s historical charm while modernizing it for contemporary living. The result is a harmonious blend of old and new, with rich wooden floors, high ceilings, and intricate woodwork that tell the story of its past. The gardens are lush, the interiors are cozy, and the overall ambiance is one of serene beauty. “It’s a place where I can escape the chaos of city life and just be with my son,” Choudhary explains, his eyes lighting up as he speaks about his little boy.
The journey from a peripatetic life to a more grounded one has been transformative for Choudhary. “Becoming a father has given me a new perspective on what home means,” he says. “It’s not just a physical space; it’s a feeling of belonging and security.” Boa Vista, with its rich history and warm atmosphere, has become a symbol of that sense of belonging. “I feel like I’ve finally found a place that feels like home, not just a house,” he adds, a smile spreading across his face.
For Choudhary, the restoration of Boa Vista was more than just a project; it was a journey of self-discovery and a preparation for the most important role of his life—being a father. “I want to give my son the stability and love that I didn’t have as a child,” he concludes, his voice filled with a mix of determination and hope. “And I believe that this bungalow, with all its history and beauty, is the perfect place to do that.”
