'Friend' of indebted firms: An unusual ad in a prominent newspaper

An unusual ad in a prominent newspaper last week has attracted the attention of many bankers. The ad, which appeared in the classified section of the newspaper, starts with “Don’t pay banks — till we meet,” and goes on to say that the advertiser wants to help companies which are feeling “humiliated and depressed” because of non-performing assets. Curiously the ad carries a logo of a “Proud Indian” but has no address of the “friend” who claims to be a “guide in crisis” for the NPA-laden companies.