Undermining history

In the urge to build a new Parliament building, the grandeur of the old has been compromised

- MALLIKARJUN KHARGE

The chambers of our Parliament building have hosted and witnessed nearly a century of proceedings that have shaped and moulded the destiny of our great nation.

Legislation and deliberation, all were given life in the beating heart of these great halls. The building itself symbolically metamorphosed from the seat of colonial power to the temple of democracy. It was here that the nation heralded the end of imperialism and announced the tryst with destiny’:

The corridors of the building are living testimony to the freedom struggle led by the Indian National Congress and the loud revolutionary announcement made by Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his comrades. When I walked through these corridors as a young visitor, I had goosebumps as I imagined stalwarts like Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Babu Rajendra Prasad and others who wrote the destiny of India in the Central Hall while framing our Constitution.

I was an ordinary Indian who had experienced the double jeopardy of colonial rule from Delhi and also the undemocratic totalitarianism of the Nizam. Also, Ihad lived through the discrimination institutionalised in Indian society for ages. So, for me, our Parliament held a special meaning. It promised me an India with equality and human values. Its proceedings held out a dream that would bring in reforms and change the lives of millions of Indians.

As a child, I was always politically inclined. Gulbarga, where I grew up, was a confluence of political activities because of its geographical location. Leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia, S.A. Dange and others on their way to Mumbai, Bengaluru or Hyderabad would stop over, hold public meetings and change trains to proceed. I picked up my political thought and philosophy from their speeches and interactions. They gave me infallible faith in Indian democracy and its immense possibilities.