Happiest in court, a patriot, passionate about animal rights, cricket, music, oil on canvas art and theatre — meet senior advocate Percival Billimoria, who has 23 dogs and all except one, are rescue cases.
Were you raised in a family which appreciated and adored animals? Have you always had a canine companion at home?
I grew up in Bombay and my very first dog was a spitz called Honey. I still remember her as a very intelligent and perceptive dog. She made me realise that once people live with dogs they come to love them very much. Living in a joint family, my aunt was horrified when Honey was brought home. But soon she refused to let Honey get out of her sight.
Please tell us about your dogs.
My next dog was Trixie-baa, an Irish setter. By this time, I had moved to New Delhi and my mum came to live with me after my father transitioned. Trixie-baa lived to a ripe old age and became my mum’s constant companion while I was burning the 2 am oil at work. Now I have 23 dogs and all except one are rescue cases. All females have “baa” as a suffix while the males are “boos”.
We have learnt that you take them for morning walks at the crack of the dawn. Apart from it, what does a typical day look like in your household? Are there quiet evenings that anchor you?
You heard wrong. The 2 am oil became 4 am oil. My work is very challenging but fortunately, I have good staff to take care of the brood. This means that they are taken to the vet regularly, vaccinated and get their meals at regular hours. There’s a dog house for them though they are in any case all over the home. Some of them take turns sleeping in my bed.
How do your pets shape or disrupt your rhythm—do they force pauses, or offer perspective?
The only time that I get distracted from my work is when one of them is unwell. The one perspective which everyone should learn is that although they are voiceless, they know how to communicate. Also, each one has a different personality. This becomes so apparent when you have more than one. They sense your mood and react accordingly. This is because dogs – in fact all animals – are sentient beings. The Western perspective was to consider all animals as “beasts” and for centuries it was man vs beasts. In India we have always taken care of animals. There is a wholly erroneous notion nowadays that keeping pets is a hobby for the elites. But if you look at street dogs, they are taken care of by the local presswallah or shopkeeper or the watchman. Very often I find that it is the poor who share their meagre meals with dogs or cats.
I have long since realised that all living beings have a soul and while any kind of meat was never a part of my diet, I used to enjoy tandoori chicken in Delhi. One day I just made up my mind and stopped having chicken as well. Sea food remains an integral part of my diet.
How does your pooch react when you return from a long tour?
Dogs inherently greet you by standing on their hind legs, as if they are hugging you. I hug back. This happens every day when I get home. They scramble over each other to be the first to greet me in this manner. Unfortunately, people who don’t understand this get spooked and say they are “getting mauled”.
Do you groom/ bathe your fur baby? What part do you play in grooming?
Again, the staff bathe the dogs regularly and are responsible for their upkeep. I only supervise with an excel sheet which lists their dates for their regular vaccines. Recently, I rescued a dog which was abandoned at the Simla railway station. She has long hair which had become matted and it was quite a job to get her squeaky clean with her silky fur again. There is a grooming place where they are taken. One of the older cars is devoted to taking them to the vet and for grooming.
Are they allowed on the couch and most importantly, the bed?
Dogs are family. They are devoted to you and of course have the full run of the place. Many nights I have two or three on my bed, except if I am likely to come home very late when I tell the staff to keep an eye till I return or else let them just sleep.
Do you play with your fur babies? What is their favourite game?
There’s one guard whose main job is to play ball with the ones which have a lot of energy to expend. One of the main criteria for selecting staff at both my home as well as my chamber is that they must be animal lovers. And preferably vegetarian, though this criteria is getting to be hard to fulfil which is extremely unfortunate.
Have you ever taken your fur babies for vacations or picnics? If yes, how was the experience?
Some dogs get car sick but recently during the summer holidays I did a road trip to Udwada which is a place of pilgrimage for Parsis. My mother, before she passed away, was very keen that I should go. One of the precious ones who enjoys car rides came along. He was a good passenger and endured the long journey very well.
Who amongst your fluff balls is the Enfant Terrible? Does he/she manage to mess with your Zen?
All pups are playful and tend to chew on things. The legs of my breakfast table in the kitchen have been chewed off. Because when a dog is being introduced into the brood he/she has to be in the kitchen where the staff can keep an eye on the introductions.
Where do you draw the line when it comes to pampering them with treats? What is their favourite food and treat?
I do not encourage them to beg for food at the dinner table. They are used to the fact that they will not get a single morsel. It’s habit forming if you give them food from your plate and I don’t believe it’s even healthy. Moreover, when one is entertaining it gets embarrassing if one of the clients or guests are uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, you can’t make everyone love dogs – although I really pity those who don’t since they will never experience how delightful it is. Otherwise, the day when I rescued the fur ball is noted in my excel spreadsheet as his/her birthday and a doggy cake is ordered.
You’re known for your intense work ethic. You have put it very bluntly and we are paraphrasing here: There is no such thing as work-life balance in the profession of law; if you are looking for it, then choose another profession. How do you think pet ownership offsets the absence of this balance?
The law is a jealous mistress and demands focus and attention. So yes, anyone who wants to pick up his tiffin and leave for home at 6 pm is a misfit in the profession. However, it is always possible to make time for other passions of life such as painting, or cooking. I have always exhorted junior members of the profession to work hard and also play hard.
It’s just that it can’t be scheduled in advance. I know my schedule generally for the day and the next day but find it difficult to commit to anything for the day after. One simply does not know.
Pets are always there for you no matter what time you get home. They are always happy to see you. At the very least, watching them reminds one of the simple things in life – food, water and sleep. Taking care of a life has its own rewards.
Do you ever find that your dogs respond to your moods or stress levels, in ways that surprise you?
Any family with a dog will tell you that pets absorb the mood in the home. They know when there is a lack of harmony and they absorb the negativity to the detriment of their own health.
This is why many families with pets will say that dogs take the disease on themselves. Illness is nothing but negative energy and pets absorb that.
You have always supported Animal Rights vociferously. Your pointing out the absence of In Loco Parentis defense in the recent judgement on stray dogs, is reminiscent of Al Pacino’s explosive assertion of In Loco Parentis in the movie, ‘Scent of a Woman.’ Could you please explain it for the benefit of our readers?
One of the several doctrines in common law is that of “Loco Parentis”. In layman terms it means that when a litigant cannot speak for itself it can be represented by someone. There are decisions of two High Courts which have applied this doctrine to animal rights. These have been stayed by the Supreme Court but a stay does not mean that it is overturned. It only means it is held in abeyance till the case is decided.
Do you think the way we treat animals reflects something deeper about our cultural or moral compass?
I don’t enjoy the fact that many of the fur babies live on the streets. But the only solution is sterilisation – known as “ABC” (Animal Birth Control). Putting them in pounds would be devastating. And in any event, one will need to sterilise those held in pounds as well.
Unfortunately, you can’t get everyone to love dogs. However, there is a dog meat lobby which is pushing the narrative that dogs are dangerous. This narrative is being propagated by some media houses in the same way that they would market a new brand of toothpaste. The data being cited is false and outdated and even contrary to the Government’s own data.
Western countries which are being held up as model cases, have in fact evolved from the “man vs beast” narrative to one which recognises all animals as sentient beings.
Cruelty abounds, despite many scientific papers which demonstrate that most hardened criminals started with cruelty to animals. The part of the brain responsible for empathy can malfunction and it is important to recognise the link between animal cruelty and serial killers.
