A new House, again in red sandstone
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New Parliament’s aesthetic, however, contrasts with that of the older circular structure, which too was initially conceived as a triangular design

May 27, 2023 05:14 pm | Updated May 30, 2023 05:25 pm IST - New Delhi

An aerial view of the old and new Parliament buildings on May 27, 2023.

An aerial view of the old and new Parliament buildings on May 27, 2023. | Photo Credit: ANI

The new triangular Parliament House, built to fit the three-sided plot of land on which it stands, faces the old circular structure, both dressed in red sandstone for continuity. Their interiors though, are a study in contrast. Noida-based sculptor Ram Sutar’s 16-foot-high bronze Mahatma Gandhi sits in between, the silent arbitrator between the past and the present.

In place of the ‘disappearing dome’ over the central hall, visible to visitors only once they step in, the new building is flat-roofed and fitted with a golden spire, much like those in temples and gurdwaras.

Where the old building had wooden panelling and high ceilings, the new four-storey structure has lights embedded into ceilings of gold. Peacock feather motifs are emblazoned on both the ceiling and carpet in the Lok Sabha, with lotus motifs in the Rajya Sabha. The tradition of red upholstery, carpeting, and wall cladding for the upper house, and green for the lower, continues.

Now, there’s no central hall that was used for joint Parliamentary sessions a few times a year — a space that also turned into a lounge for members to gather and dissolve party differences. In its place is an open-to-the-sky courtyard and three cafes as neutral ground.

Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam Sri la Sri Ambalavana Desika Paramacharya Swamigal presents the ‘Sengol’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 27, 2023, on the eve of the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam Sri la Sri Ambalavana Desika Paramacharya Swamigal presents the ‘Sengol’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 27, 2023, on the eve of the inauguration of the new Parliament building. | Photo Credit: ANI

Triangle vs wheel

With any large project, there is bound to be some controversy. With the new Parliament, it’s the 22 parties boycotting the inauguration, which will see a puja, havan (fire ritual), and installation of a sengol (sceptre) behind the Lok Sabha speaker’s chair. With the old, it was the fact that British architect Herbert Baker, who was commissioned to design what was then known as the Council House, imagined it as a triangular building with chambers of varying shapes within.

His design was rejected by the New Delhi Town Planning Committee after scathing criticism from his friend-turned-foe, the architect Edwin Lutyens, universally thought of as Delhi’s designer. Lutyens pictured a wheel-like structure that Baker had to finally follow, with an open veranda, 800 metres long, and 144 columns. Eventually, members of Parliament would stop here to swap gossip, or rush through to avoid journalists and favour-seekers.

Expanded capacity

Today’s Lok Sabha can seat 888 members, with the capacity to expand it to 1,272 during joint sessions of Parliament, while the Rajya Sabha will seat 384. Both chambers are roughly three times bigger than their counterparts in the earlier Parliament House. The old lower house chamber had a significantly inadequate 148-member capacity at inception, necessitating remodelling for expansion in the 1950s, with the first floor added in the 1960s. The increased floor space came at the cost of aesthetics and convenience, with many seats placed behind the 12 pillars that hold up the building. Similarly, the upper house could initially accommodate only 86 members, and alterations were made to increase its capacity to 250.

There are now 92 chambers for Cabinet Ministers and party offices. Traditionally, the real estate was allotted as a measure of hierarchy, with the more powerful portfolios getting larger rooms and with a suite for the Prime Minister.

‘Disruption proof’

When Bimal Patel, the architect commissioned to design the new Parliament in 2019, made a presentation at the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) in February 2020, the year the foundation stone was laid, there was much debate over what kind of seats members should get. The German Parliament’s swivel chairs were considered, and Singapore’s sofas. “Perhaps a little more discipline and orderly seating is called for,” Mr. Patel told students. Cushioned seats with desks were finalised, with two people to a seating unit, so that awkward church-pew moments could be avoided. Each seat has a biometric-based digital voting console and a smart screen for members to access documents.

Interiors have been made ‘disruption proof’, with the chairperson and speaker’s seat placed at a higher elevation than in the old building, making it difficult for Opposition members to wave placards in their faces. The reporters’ table, where key officials in charge of running the administration of Parliament sit, now has a wooden barricade running all around it.

Nearly every State has contributed something to the new Parliament. The teakwood came from Maharashtra, the sandstone from Rajasthan, the carpets from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, and bamboo flooring from Tripura.

‘Made in China fittings’

On the premises, workers, both skilled and unskilled, have rushed to clear the compound of rubble and put in the final touches. Manoj Shukla, a manager at Brady Services, which will be responsible for operations and maintenance of the new Parliament, has been working between 12 and 18 hours over the last two weeks. “I don’t feel exhausted at all, it is in fact exhilarating that I am working on a project of such historical importance,” Mr. Shukla said.

Gunjesh Kumar, 32, an electrician from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, who claims to have fitted 5,000 lights in the new building, wonders at the cost of construction: ₹836 crore (the 1927 version cost ₹83 lakh). “Did we really need it?” he asks. He arrived in December last year, his first trip and first assignment here. “Politicians make rhetorical statements against China and go on a rampage against small shops selling China-made goods. But I was shocked to see many of the fittings in the new Parliament are made in China. They don’t practise what they preach,” he said, disillusioned.

Distanced from the people

Outside Parliament’s premises, Ashok Kumar Gupta, 63, who runs a chai shop on Red Cross Road, looks warily at the structure. He worries whether he will be uprooted. “Before me, my father used to own the shop. I remember the days when buses used to run around the perimeter of Parliament and how as children, just for excitement, we would touch its outer wall,” he said.

In the years since his childhood, the security around Parliament has grown, and rungs of no-entry zones expanded. Today, the people have been pushed out of its immediate periphery.

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