An Hour In PARLIAMENT HOUSE

I do not know that what I am going to say has any future connotation or it is just another site seeing (I say this because I saw there many people like me)!

I got an opportunity to be in the Public Gallery of LOK SABHA today!

I VISITED THE PARLIAMENT OF INDIA, the institution which rules the country of which I am a proud (and also a not so proud) citizen.

The proof of my visit is the Pass which every visiting individual must have, duly approved by a sitting MP. Unfortunately, I cannot upload the Pass (though I still have it with me now).

We were four of us: Shubhum, Bipin, Bhupal Mamu and I.

There are 7 check points from the entry to the Public Gallery. Pockets are virtually emptied by the time one reaches the PG. Only paper currency is allowed (not even coins!). They even asked me to deposit my hanky! I wonder a day may come when out of security reasons visitors would be asked to deposit their clothes. This will be the height of security!

After going through all the security checks I finally entered the Public Gallery. I was guided to sit on a wooden bench by one of the security personnel. He gave some DONOT instructions: do not talk or whisper, do not lean on front bench, do not sit with one leg on the other... For a moment I felt I am back in my nursery days!

I was curious to see the political leaders present in the House. Some of them I could immediately recognize: Advani, Susma Swaraj, Sarad Yadav, Arjun Munda, Nishikant Dubey. 1 or 2 I could recognize by face but could not recall their names.

Unfortunately, all the big names from the govt side were absent (my bad luck!!). Our visiting hour was from 2PM to 3PM. While leaving the PG I could recognize only Agatha Sangma from the ruling side.

There were many thoughts rising and falling in the mind like ebb and flow of a sea in full moon night which I'll write later.

As for now in short:

I WAS HAPPY AND I WAS SAD!!!