Legislature Fever

Those government employees, officers especially, working in their Head Offices in Hyderabad, get a unique opportunity a couple of times a year. This opportunity is one of watching democracy in action in the form of duty at legislatures when they are in session. Some of the officers are drafted for duty either at the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council for about half a day or so. During the last session I too was on duty at the Assembly for a couple of days. This time however I was drafted to the Legislative Council for the whole duration of the sessions which, being the budget session, ends on the 31st of March.

Since Monday last I’ve been attending the sessions at the Legislative Council housed in the Jubilee Hall in the Public Gardens at Nampally. Since then I’m spending half my day until late afternoon in the Officers Waiting Hall in historic Jubilee Hall. The hall is a beautiful circular building built by the Nizams. The Waiting Hall is a curved hall with a high ceiling with chandeliers and ceiling fans hanging down. However, the stiff backed chairs are damn uncomfortable if one has to spend more than a couple of hours sitting on them listening to the proceedings in the Council Hall through the speakers.

It is a great opportunity to witness legislation in the making, listening to the debates between the Members and also getting to watch some of the faces one sees only on the televisions. Being the house of the elders the Legislative Council proceedings go on smoothly unlike that of the Assembly which has more members. It is less noisy here at the Council. Whenever there is a break I take out a book that I am carrying in my bag and read it. Last week I managed to finish Mohammed Hanif’s ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ that I had picked up only recently. It is an unputdownable book with a great plot and some wonderful passages. What stands out is, however, the humor evident in the situations and the lines mouthed by some of the characters in the book.

The other day I had to come as early as eight am to the Council. There are always cops swarming the place. At the Gates, one has to show the Official pass to be let in. Then there is more checking- you are frisked, the bags are checked before you are allowed to enter. There are metal detectors, bomb and dog squads. That day I saw the dog squad in action with the canine sniffing around led by its burly handler. There was someone checking the mike saying ‘Checking 1,2,3’ every few seconds for at least an hour. After an hour or so the place begins to fill up with the members arriving. Soon the place is crowded with Scorpios, Innova cars with the blue lights at the top, cops in safari suits carrying sten guns, some cops in uniforms with pistols stuck in their waistbands and even traffic cops directing the traffic inside the Public Garden. The sessions begin with pealing of a bell that rings continuously for more than a couple of minutes. Then the session begins and goes on until eleven or half past eleven after which there is a tea break. After the tea break the session goes on until half past one by which time I begin to feel terribly hungry. As soon as the House is adjourned for the day I rush to the office for lunch.

The whole thing is repeated the next day. There are usually no sessions on Saturdays and Sundays. I have another month of Council duty by which time I plan to finish reading at least five books.