Page 29 - Seniors Today - July 2021 Issue
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for two or three pet-owners. The rest are all dog-walkers and one automatically steps
professional ‘dog-walkers’. I was intrigued in for the other in case of abstentions and
by one, Ankit (name changed) since I emergencies.
see him regularly walking four dogs on An elderly lawyer and ex-banker (I will
most days. I chatted with him and learnt withhold the name for confidentiality
something interesting. They are a group reasons ), nudging 70, based in Mumbai
of about 11 professional walkers in that since the 1980s and consulting with one of
part of the city doing the rounds at various the ex-big shots in the steel industry, now
public places with the owners’ pets. They practically gone bust with the flagship
get between Rs 6,000 to 7,000 per dog per company having been acquired under
month. Between the morning rounds and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code/ NCLT
the evening rounds, he makes around Rs rules, walks daily for 14 to 15 km on the
30,000 to 32,000 per month which he is same shores that I do. He walks briskly and
happy with and helps take care of his family always in his own world uttering mantras.
along with the income of his working wife. We exchange salutations without fail and
many a times get talking for long. Today
was one such day. He had some lovely
anecdotes to share with me. An interesting
story is about how the provision to debar
defaulting promoters from bidding in the
revival schemes under IBC/ NCLT came
about so that no one can game the system.
Apparently, a couple of dodgy promoters
(well-known or rather notorious for their
swanky homes and paraphernalia locally
He had a good job as a factotum in and the world over) refused to settle with
IndusInd Bank, but soon got disillusioned the banks with the confidence that the
with the demeaning treatment meted out banks will be forced to settle with them
to him by executives and that too for the with a huge write-off and then they can get
meagre pay of about Rs 11,000. He just got back into the play and continue business as
frustrated and one fine day cocked a snook usual, after having defrauded the banks of
at his employer and quit. He says that it was thousands of crores.
his best decision ever and he has no regrets. The gentlemen in question along with his
Most importantly, he has preserved his banker friend (involved with framing laws
self-respect and self-worth. Over the past for IBC) happened to meet the then finance
couple of years or so, he has learnt all that minister and discussed the matter. It was
is to be learnt about dogs, their behavioural decided by the FM during those discussions
patterns, their ailments, their treatments, to incorporate a rule barring such
visits to vets, etc. The owners of the pets fraudulent promoters from bidding for their
are finding him indispensable today – the companies again under the IBC mechanism
masters need the ‘walker’ to keep their for settling dues/ reviving bankrupt
pets ‘walking’ and healthy. The best part is companies. Getting to know first-hand how
that there is a huge comity amongst these some important rules got enacted is not just
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