Mark Tully's Bureaucratic Battle for Kolkata Birth Certificate in 2013
Twelve years before the Special Intensive Revision of rolls prompted a rush for birth certificates at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters, renowned journalist Mark Tully found himself navigating a similar bureaucratic maze. The British citizen, born in Tollygunge on October 24, 1935, required his birth certificate to apply for an Overseas Citizen of India certificate, which would permit him to enter and reside in India without needing a visa.
Tully's Formal Request to KMC Authorities
In an email dispatched to then KMC mayor Sovan Chatterjee on August 5, 2013, Tully meticulously detailed his birth information. He wrote, "I was born on October 24, 1935 and my full name, which should be in your records, is William Mark Tully. My father's name was William Scarth Carlisle Tully and my mother's name Patience Treby Tully. I was born at 6 Regent Park, Tollygunge. My birth was registered by the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Alipore, 24-Parganas on November 21, 1935. I would be most grateful if you could assist me in obtaining the copy of my birth certificate."
A prominent figure in elite circles, Tully served as the BBC's 'Voice of India' for nearly five decades, covering pivotal events in South Asia since 1965. His reporting spanned Indo-Pakistan conflicts, the Bhopal gas tragedy, Operation Blue Star, the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Yet, securing his birth certificate emerged as a more formidable challenge than any journalistic assignment in his distinguished career.
Administrative Hurdles and Legal Constraints
A civic official noted the extreme difficulty, if not impossibility, of retrieving the record, explaining, "Since KMC is governed by The Registration of Births And Deaths Act, 1969, there are constraints. With Tollygunge being a separate municipality and not part of KMC at the time, we do not have records. Hence, the document, if issued, will be a no-birth records certificate. He can apply for it only after producing an affidavit from a first class magistrate after convincing him that he was born in Kolkata."
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Tully contacted TOI Kolkata, stating, "I am eligible for OCI but need a birth certificate as part of the documentation. Since I have lived all my working life in India and love the country of my birth, I wish to continue staying here without worrying about visas."
Collaborative Resolution with KMC and TOI
TOI forwarded Tully's request to the health department, responsible for birth certificates. Atin Ghosh, member mayor-in-council for health and engineering, personally intervened and pursued the matter until resolution. Ghosh recounted, "After receiving the request, we undertook a comprehensive search of relevant records with the state government and obtained the relevant birth report from the archive."
Locating the records was a significant achievement, given Tully's birth date in 1935 and registration in Alipore, 24-Parganas. KMC health advisor TK Mukherjee, then chief municipal health officer, expressed satisfaction, saying, "We are glad that we, along with TOI, could help an internationally acclaimed journalist who was not just born in Kolkata but had worked in India and loved the country of his birth."
Successful Outcome and Tully's Legacy
Tully, a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, received the coveted document on November 26, 2013, enabling his OCI application. He continued living in India until his death at age 90 in a Delhi hospital on January 25. Reflecting on his dual identity, Tully once remarked, "I feel I am a citizen of the two countries I feel I belong to, India and Britain." This episode highlights the bureaucratic complexities faced even by eminent individuals in administrative processes, underscoring the importance of persistent advocacy and inter-departmental cooperation.
