Old Parliament building sentinel of time, repository of India's democracy
Parliament House, which may soon hand over its position as the country's hallowed legislature to a new complex inaugurated four months ago, has stood for over 96 years as a sentinel of time and a repository of India's democratic journey.
Opened on January 18, 1927, by Lord Irwin — the then viceroy — amid fanfare, the landmark has witnessed colonial rule, the Second World War, the dawn of Independence, the adoption of the Constitution, and the passage of many legislations — some landmark and many controversial.
The government on Wednesday listed a special discussion on the Parliament's 75-year journey, starting from the Samvidhan Sabha, on the first day of the five-day session beginning on September 18.
The session is likely to see the proceedings of Parliament move from the old building to the new complex in its vicinity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new complex on May 28 and expressed hope that it would become a cradle of empowerment, igniting dreams and nurturing them into reality.
Several MPs and people from different walks of life, including celebrities, had praised the construction of the new complex when it was inaugurated.
Once legislative businesses move into the new state-of-the-art building, India will, in many ways, turn a page.
Historians and conservation architects describe the old edifice as a «repository of India's history» and its «democratic ethos», and an «architectural jewel» of Delhi.
The historic building, with its circular design and an impressive colonnade of 144 creamy sandstone on the first floor, was opened at a time the new imperial capital of the British Raj — New Delhi — was being built at a site in the Raisina Hill area.
According to archival documents and rare old images, a
