When My Arms Licence Was Renewed in Ten Minutes

 When My Arms Licence Was Renewed in Ten Minutes

John Aguiar

It was sometime in 1990. I was then working as a Staff Reporter with Herald, and on that particular day I had  visited North  Collectorate Office to get my arms licence renewed.

I went and  approached the MAG Section, which was dealing with arms licences. I submitted my application and paid the requisite fees. After completing the formalities, I was told by the concerned clerk that I should not expect the renewed licence anytime soon. I was given to understand that it would take at least two months because the application had to go through several procedures.

I thanked the clerk and walked out of the section.

As I was making my way towards the exit, I happened to glance at the nameplate outside one of the offices. It read:

Shri N. Suryanarayana

Additional Collector

I knew the name. Out of curiosity and courtesy, I asked his Personal Assistant whether the Additional Collector was in the office. He replied that he was and informed him that I wished to meet him.

To my surprise, I was immediately called inside.

I greeted Shri Suryanarayana. He asked me why I had come to the Collectorate. I casually told him that I had come to submit my application for renewal of my arms licence. I also told him honestly that, after seeing his name on the door, I had decided to meet him simply as a matter of courtesy. I made it clear that I had already submitted my application and had not come to seek any special favour.

He then asked me where the application was.

I told him that it had already been submitted to the concerned section.

Without wasting any time, he asked his PA to call the dealing clerk.

When the clerk arrived, Shri Suryanarayana asked him to put up my licence for his signature.

The clerk appeared somewhat hesitant. He explained that the matter was not that simple and that the application had to undergo the prescribed procedure.

The Additional Collector asked him what exactly the procedure was.

The clerk explained that the papers had to be sent to the Superintendent of Police for verification of the applicant's antecedents and for a recommendation. Only after receiving the police report could the matter be placed before the competent authority.

Shri Suryanarayana then asked him a simple question:

“Who is the competent authority?”

The clerk replied, “You, sir.”

There was a brief pause.

Shri Suryanarayana then said that he knew me very well and that he was personally satisfied about me. Therefore, he said, he did not require a police recommendation in this particular case.

My licence was brought before the Additional Collector. He signed it in my presence. I completed the necessary signatures in the receipt section, and the renewed arms licence was handed over to me.

I had walked into the Collectorate expecting to wait for at least two months.

I walked out with my renewed licence in about ten minutes.

Looking back, what stayed with me was not the speed with which the licence was renewed, but the manner in which Shri N. Suryanarayana handled the matter. I had not asked him to bypass any procedure. I had merely gone in to meet him out of courtesy after seeing his nameplate.

He exercised his authority because, as the competent authority, he was satisfied about the applicant before him.

That brief encounter, from my days as a Staff Reporter with Herald, remains one of those unexpected incidents in my professional life that I still remember vividly.

Sometimes, a chance glance at a nameplate can turn an ordinary day into a memorable story.