The L.A. Diaries- 2

The first week at LA went off pretty much without any event worth mentioning save for the last day (Friday) when the Budget was presented. Friday happened to be the only day any kind of business was transacted in the LA since from Monday onwards the House was repeatedly adjourned. When the House is not functioning for hours on end it is pretty boring to sit and wait for it to meet again. The adjournments sometimes stretched for as long as three hours which can be terribly boring for those who have to sit through the sessions. But I am one who isn’t easily bored since I have my own weaoons to get over any kind of boredom- BOOKS.

During the lengthy adjournments, while the others sat chatting I sat reading. I almost finished Sarah Turnbull’s ‘Almost French’ and got started on P. Sainath’s ‘Everybody Loves A Good Drought’ that might take a couple of days to finish. I have listed out a lengthy list of books that I plan to read during the long Budget session till it ends on March 29. Since I have no other choice but to read I plan to read some titles that I haven’t read till now. Leaving home in a rush early in the morning without even a proper breakfast is a small price to pay for the uninterrupted hours I get to read.


Previously I used to hang around the main lobbies of the Assembly hall but during this session I am spending more time in the galleries from where one can watch the proceedings clearly. The galleries are on the first floor and one can look down on the main assembly hall through a glass partition. From the galleries one can see the Legislators going around the proceedings. The problem is that the whole building is centrally airconditioned which makes it difficult for the likes of me to sit inside for long.

On Friday when the Budget was being presented not only the press gallery was crowded there were a couple of VIPs. There was the Chief Secretary, the DGP, and the City Police Commissioner seated in another tiny enclosure meant for officers right inside the Assembly hall. Everyone listened attentively to the Budget speech however. It was the first time I was listening to a Budget speech so I too paid attention. Afterwards, the House was adjourned for three days which was a big relief for me.