PRS goes to Parliament

PRS organised a guided tour to the Parliament on August 1, 2007 for the core team, summer interns and the new MP interns. Although I have gone to the Parliament thrice before (twice to watch the Question Hour and once to meet a CP(I)M comrade), this was different. We had a guide who took us to both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha gallery as well as the chamber where joint sessions of Parliament are held. We learnt a whole lot of new things. First, the upholstery in the Lok Sabha is green because the MPs are elected by the public ie the grassroot! However, the guide had no suitable explanation of why the same was red in the Rajya Sabha (sign of royalty, maybe). The most interesting was the chamber where the joint session of Parliament takes place. It has the second highest dome (next only to the dome in Bijapur). Also, there are standing fans, which look like inverted windmills placed all over the room. Looks very high tech and slightly surreal. There were also pictures of all former Prime Ministers and other important leaders of the independence movement. Chakshu's excitement at Netaji's portrait got noticed and he (or was it Madhavan) got asked whether he was the "sanyal" on the list...the bong connection:) We then adjourned to Congress MP J P Aggarwal's office to partake of tea, sandwiches and biscuits.