The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 94
94 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN So when the question was called, I stood up, and said, "Sir, Government has no desire to spread the use of bad English on the railways. With regard to the second part of the question, I have never seen any notice of that kind or any other kind stuck on any platform. " The point, of course, was that notices are not stuck on platforms, they are stuck on walls. We met in the gallery afterwards and Sri Prakash said, "Touche!" He was rather proud of his English, being a Cambridge graduate. On another occasion, the same member put down the question, "Is it not a fact that a second class ticket is double of an intermediate class ticket. If so, why is not intermediate class accommodation half of second class accommodation?" I answered, "Sir, it is not a fact that a second class ticket is twice an intermediate class ticket. They are exactly the same size. The second part of the question does not arise. " He objected: "Sir, the Honourable Minister is quibbling!" I continued: "Sir, one has got to be very careful with this particular Honourable Member in the use of English, he is so insistent upon the use of correct English. " Another abuse that was rampant on the railways was that the enormous number of railway staff, officers and others, were entitled to free railway passes for travel home and back, and when they travelled on duty. Sometimes it happened that all available sleeping accommo- dation in second class coaches was occupied by these railway pass holders and paying passengers had to manage as best they could, though the rule was that a railway employee could use his pass for occupying a sleeping berth only if it was not required for a paying passenger. Once an incident was related to me which showed that my pecking away at these things at the top was beginning to have some effect. Some railway employees, Indians, had occupied practically all the sleeping accommodations in one of these coaches, and at an intermediate stop a couple of passengers came in and found the sleeping berths all occupied. They sat down at the ends of two berths, and one of them said to the other, "Never mind, I know some of these gentlemen are railway employees and I shall write to Zafrulla about it. He is sure to look into the matter. Immediately two or three of them got up and pleaded, "Please do not do that. You can take these berths. We will sit. You can lie down. "