I, A. K. Narayanan joined the department on 28th of November 1983 as a Lower Division Clerk and was posted to Preventive Main Department. The work was limited to clerical and there was no responsibility for taking any executive decisions. Those days i still remember Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Preventive General was the most powerful officer and finding them in their cabin was a great achievement. I then had passion towards sports and was always moving around with Customs Sportspersons and with them i also use to avail 3 pm facility for practise. Somehow, the  matter of me leaving office at 3pm was whispered into the ears of ACP(G) and I was fired very badly with instructions not to leave office without signing the Attendance Muster Register which was kept with ACP(G). Those were the tough moments to a young boy who had just joined the department before completing his graduation. Anyways, completed the graduation and slowly i started to transform myself to a more disciplined individual. During the course, had got opportunities to work with Anglo Indian officers and one specific mention i have to make is about Shri R.C.Kingsford who first gifted me with books Customs Act, 1962 and a Preventive Manual and wished me all the best. Within months got promoted as Preventive Officer and there i started to learn more about discipline, determination, dedication, devotion towards my work with the help, support and guidance of Shri Anil Kumar Tak, who needs a special mention for my transformation from a lethargic guy to a disciplined officer. I always maintained punctuality and ensured attending office not later than 9.30 am and leave office not before 6 pm. Truly, one thing i learnt you can expire only once but you can inspire and be inspired all the time. They were the two inspirators and i found that inspiration is like a whiff of cool breeze that puts an extra spring in your footsteps, a tighter grip on your life, boosts your energy to the next level, adds both bounce and balance.      2. As a Preventive Officer i went on pursuit of all-round excellence that brought about equitable distribution of greatness. First and foremost, i had and still continue to have pride for my uniform. The deeper the pain  the greater the painting. I understood behind every overt leadership, there is covert influence. There i started to compete with myself by cooperating with others. A one percent difference in attitude can make 100 percent difference in behaviour, performance and results

   In 2011 during posting in Air Intelligence Unit I was transferred and posted to AIU B Batch. The first day was on 7th August 2011 (Sunday) had reported for day duty and during the day  my colleague Preventive Officer Shri Sashi Kumar took me around the airport premise explaining the movement of international passengers, their baggage, transit lounge and various such prominent areas where attention was needed and I was understanding the airport premise as a whole with PO Shri Sashi Kumar. At that time a flight 9W 541 from Dubai was just landed and passengers were waiting to collect their bags from conveyor belt no.11. Preventive Officer Shri Sashi Kumar asked me to identify couple of passengers who look suspicious. I immediately pointed out two passengers and we waited at the exit near the SBI counter. When I was asked what made me to identify these two passengers, I replied it was just a moment of suspicion owing to their attire worn by these two passengers and they both were found wearing slippers. That was actually the prime reason for me to separate these two passengers from the lot. Infact, to be precise it was a training session going on that day as it was my first day of my posting in the striking unit B Batch. I was asked to check their passports and putting into the basic requirements I initially looked at their photograph, their address, their travel details. Two things came to my mind then, firstly their residential address Cheetah Camp, Chembur and secondly their short stay in Dubai. All these factors attributed to this wonderful case that brought in me satisfaction and also justifying my presence there as Supdt/AIU. The name of the passengers  were Ghalamsalam and Sayed Ali Mubarak. We opened the bags in their presence and recovered memory cards kept concealed in the Perfume boxes. This being the first day in AIU office I was very delighted to detect the concealment. When the bags were emptied to continue with the examination in search for any further concealment nothing more could be found other than memory cards at that relevant moment. In between what struck me I am unaware but I tried to lift the empty bags to search any concealment. To my utter surprise I found the bags to be bit heavy immediately one AIU officer sat before the screening machine and told to put the empty bags in the screening machine. All other officers were busy counting memory cards. When the empty bags passed through the screening machine images of nuts and bolts on four sides were visible. Immediately we found a false bottom and on removing the nuts and bolts we could detect Rs.20 lakhs (approx.) Indian currency notes in 500 denominations concealed in the false bottom of both bags. Further investigations and enquiries made with Currency Note Press, Nashik authenticated these notes as counterfeit. This case being the first of its kind in 2011 every step was taken cautiously and with the guidance of superiors both the accused were placed under COFEPOSA proceedings. This was the highlight of my career with the Customs department which I can never forget and will remain as memories throughout my life. One thing i learnt motivation is all about building pressure with pleasure. Nobody acquires his spurs on the spur of the moment but it takes time, effort and patience. As a Superintendent of Customs, I felt now I am a leader. Higher and higher positions should always be sought by the able, willing and wise not because they would have more people to serve them but more people whom they can serve. With this I always tried to be true and impactful. Leadership is the one percent difference in individuals that makes a 100 percent difference in organisation and nations. Always tried to set an example to others by maintaining punctuality in attendance and also to maintain good relations with all other stake holders.

   Wearing uniform was my childhood dream and I accomplished it with pride. Success and failure, joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, health and sickness, loss and gain are like a pair of sewing needles the Divine Designer uses to weave his character into the very fabric and tapestry of our lives.  

  In journey with the Customs department for nearly four decades have witnessed the transformation of ages from Typewriter era, Telex Messaging to computer age, Fax Machine, Mobile phones and now E Office, WhatsApp where everything has come down to transparency. Thinking forward is vision and imagination, thinking backward is memory and thinking now is focus. Finally, the way to deceive pride and to pre-empt prematurely reaching our level of inefficiency is to think of our self one level or several levels below our current position. If we are a shepherd, think our self as a sheep, if we are a king think our self as a servant, a general think of our self as a soldier, a professor think of our self as a student.  The purpose of life is not the pursuit of happiness but the fulfilment of the purpose of life. Happiness or otherwise is only incidental to that.

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