The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 229
213 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN the confidence of the Legislature. It was an entirely different system altogether. I called for certain adjustments: working in a greater team spirit with one's colleagues, I had tried to do that already when I was in the Government of India, taking due note of the views of the legislature, how much value they attached to a particular point, and the criticism that was expressed there. In my case, it proved to have been a period of training for the new system of responsibility to which I was able to adjust myself quite easily. In fact, those of us who had some experience of the old system were able to adjust ourselves more easily to the new system than those who came newly to it and had not been tarnished with the old brush as it were. I think experience of cognate matters - it does not matter in what capacity - always helps one to make an adjustment more easily than coming new to a subject altogether. Question : In looking back over these years, Sir, your public life almost began with the First World War, didn't it? Khan : No, no. With the First World War, I had just started my law career. I got into the provincial Legislature for the first time in 1926. Question : Do you have any general comments, as you look back over those years, any unifying threads of your whole life that you see ? Khan : A sense of responsibility and of devotion to duty must always be the main factors in a public man's life. With those, shortcomings or deficiencies may be bridged over; without those, no type of merit, brilliance, or intellectual capacity is of much avail. R R R R R INTERVIEW - OCTOBER 26, 1963 Zafrulla Khan : Talking informally was much easier; it was just natural. I am terrified of these machines. Question : Well, we just won't look at it at all. Zafrulla : That makes no difference. Question : Well, probably the first thing we should go into is your actual election as President of the General Assembly. So perhaps you'd like to talk about the three phases of that: first, your experience in the