PM Modi pays tribute to old Parliament: A look at its rich history

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an emotional tribute to the old Parliament building on Monday. Modi, in a speech that lasted over an hour, both recalled the journey of India’s democracy and offered hope for the future. “Today we have an opportunity to connect with the past. We are leaving this building with hope for the future. I am confident that as we enter the new Parliament building, we will go there with new hope and confidence,” the prime minister said. Parliament is slated to shift to the new building on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on Tuesday. “Today is the day for remembering the 7,500 MPs who have served here… I salute every brick of this building,” Modi added. The prime minister said that though the old Parliament building was built by foreign rulers, it was constructed through the sweat, hard work and money of Indians. “Today, we are taking leave from this historic building. Before Independence, this was the Imperial Legislative Council and after Independence, it became the Parliament building,” he said. “We may go to the new building, but the old building will also inspire generations to come. This is an important chapter of India’s journey,” Modi said. But what do we know about the history of the old Parliament building? Let’s take a closer look: Who built it? The building was built after the British decided to move the seat of power to Delhi. As per Indian Express, on 12 December, 1911, George V, on his coronation as Emperor of India, declared**,** “We have decided upon the transfer of the seat of the Government of India from Calcutta to the ancient Capital of Delhi.” Two architects were chosen for the work – Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. While Baker at the time was well-known for designing buildings in the then British colony of Pretoria, Lutyens was more of an unknown.

But interestingly, the old Parliament building wasn’t even in the original plans.

As Chakshu Roy, head of outreach at PRS Legislative Research, wrote for the newspaper, “In 1913, when Baker and Lutyens signed on to be the architects for the Imperial City at New Delhi, their brief only included the design of the President’s House and North and South Block… In 1919, the British Parliament passed the Government of India Act which provided for a bicameral legislature for India. A new building was needed to accommodate the new houses of the Legislative Council.” As per Outlook, the foundation stone of the old Parliament building was laid on 12 February, 1921. The Britain’s Duke of Connaught, doing the honours, proclaimed that the building would be “the symbol of India’s rebirth to yet higher destinies". But work got off to a rough start. Baker and Lutyens did not get along. The former wanted to build a triangular structure, while the latter wanted a circular, colosseum design. Even the location was the subject of a fierce argument. While Lutyens wanted its current locations, Baker wanted away from Raisina Hill. History shows that Lutyens won both arguments. “I have got the building where I want it and the shape I want it,” Lutyens stated, as per Outlook.  Lutyens was very much against adding Indian architectural traditions to his structures. Indian Express quoted Lutyens as writing to his wife, ‘I do not believe there is any real Indian architecture or any great tradition. There are just spurts by various mushroom dynasties with as much intellect as there is in any other art nouveau.’” Baker, meanwhile, favoured a mix of Eastern and Western styles. He also backed up Lutyens’ staunch belief in the primacy of European classicism – upon which he said that Indian traditions had to be based. The building was eventually completed in 1927. It was inaugurated with much fanfare by then viceroy and governor-general of India, Lord Irwin on 18 January, 1927. According to the book “New Delhi: Making of a Capital” by Malvika Singh and Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Lord Irwin arrived in his viceregal carriage at a pavilion set up at the Great Place (now Vijay Chowk) and then “proceeded to open the door of the Council House with a golden key, handed to him by Sir Herbert Baker.” The opening of the Parliament House building, revered today as India’s temple of democracy, was much talked about then in both the domestic and the foreign press. Big moments at old Parliament  The old Parliament has seen some of India’s – both pre-Independence and after – biggest moments. In 1929, just two years after the building was completed, freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs at the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi. The two revolutionaries chanted freedom slogans and also dropped leaflets from the visitor’s gallery. They did not attempt to flee or evade arrest but gave themselves over to the authorities willingly.

Singh and Dutt said their aim was not to maim or injure but simply to ‘make the deaf hear’.

Perhaps the most famous event in the building’s history is when the country gained independence on 15 August, 1947 when the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his famed ‘tryst with destiny’ speech. [caption id=“attachment_13138132” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Jawaharlal Nehru delivering his iconic ’tryst with destiny’ speech.[/caption] The Parliament also witnessed the Indian Constitution being drafted and adopted. The Constituent Assembly had its first meeting on 9 December, 1946, in the central chamber (Central Hall) and adopted the Constitution on 26 November, 1949. The Indian Constitution came into force on 26 January, 1950. Parliament witnessed the country’s first general elections being held in 1951-52 and the first elected Parliament taking office in April 1952. Anil Krishna (74) recalls his late centenarian father Kewal Krishan, who was part of the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly, and his association with the old Parliament building. “I visited Parliament as a child with my father. The two places I vividly remember is my dad’s office and the Parliament canteen. We are reading that the Parliament will soon shift to the new complex, which was needed as more space and facilities were required with time,” he told PTI. Arguably the most shocking and somber moment Parliament witnessed occurred on 13 December, 2001, when the temple of Indian democracy came under attack. On that day, five terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) attacked the Parliament complex. The terrorists, who entered the Parliament House Complex in an Ambassador car, with a beacon and a forged Home Ministry sticker, killed nine people. The victims included five Delhi police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper, two Parliament watch and ward staff and a gardener.  A journalist who was injured died later. While all five terrorists were shot dead, the incident had serious geopolitical ramifications – bringing India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear war. ‘Repository of India’s history’ 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 Parliament House is not just an iconic building, it is a repository of history and a repository of our democracy,” noted conservation architect and urban planner AGK Menon told PTI. Several MPs from different parties shared their thoughts on the old building and the new complex. “The old Parliament (building) holds a lot of historical significance, that is where the nation gained freedom, that is where Nehru’s famous speech took place … There are a lot of memories associated with it,” the Congress’ Rajeev Shukla told PTI. “There can’t be a more beautiful Parliament (building),” BJP MP RK Singh said on the new complex. The TMC’s Derek O’Brien said, “As a parliamentarian, I have found no better place in the Parliament than the Central Hall. For fellowship, for friendship, for sharing thoughts, for bonding.” KC Tyagi of the JD(U) said, “I prefer the older Parliament (building) more. I have been a part of it. I just came back from London and their parliament building is 200 years older than ours. So, old is gold.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new complex on 28 May and expressed hope that it would become a cradle of empowerment, igniting dreams and nurturing them into reality. Several ruling party MPs and people from different walks of life, including celebrities, had praised the construction of the new complex when it was inaugurated. With inputs from agencies