A few things in life are certain - powercuts, endless re-runs of Masterchef and me falling sick at least once every time we're given a study vacation.
The cold and fever this time round were pretty bad, but while I was lying in front of the TV and secretly thanking God for no longer having to feel guilty about not studying SPM, I found the perfect entertainment to pass the time away. In the news channels of all places. Reality television has never been as interesting as the lower house of Parliament was yesterday!
They had it all - starting with a sentimental intro from the PM about how the nation's "waiting with baited breath for the collective wisdom of this august House". Ryan Seacrest himself couldnt have put it any better. Despite all the buildup, I'm sure that no one besides sick people like me with nothing else to do, fasting 70-year olds in Mumbai and the national news channels even knew what was going on, but then that's typical of a reality show anyway.
There were moments of epic comedy, like when Shashi Tharoor's speech for drowned out for a couple of seconds by shouts of "IPL!" from the background. And then there was high drama, when the Left 'strategically' walked out right near the end of the show (though I personally think they were just sleepy and bored, more than anything else. It was past 10 anyway. The looks on their faces seemed to confirm my suspicions). By now the place was already half empty, because a lot of people decided to go to bed (aka "walk out"), leaving only the Congress and BJP to sit and glare at each other. I suppose everyone else had curfews, and honestly, which sane person would ever believe them if they said Parliament was working overtime?
Finally, to top it all off, at past 11 in the night, whoever was still left was asked to vote. "All in favour say Aye" was the call to arms. A thundering war cry that sounded more like "Dei!" was what followed. And with that, the Lokpal bill was passed (in Parliamentary language, "the eyes have it, the eyes have it"). If it were up to me, I'd renew the show for season 2 based on just that one moment.
But every good TV show needs a solid twist at the end followed by a black screen with the words "to be continued" in the middle. And this twist came when the second bill did not go through (in Parliamentary language, "the nose have it, the nose have it"). This immediately prompted someone to throw a tantrum and say that it was a sad day for democracy. They say it aint over till the fat lady sings. But in Parliament it aint over till someone says its a sad day for democracy.
Unfortunately as I write this, I realised that I'm feeling much better than I did yesterday, which means that there is, unfortunately, a lot of SPM in my immediate future. Perhaps its not too late to catch another cold from somewhere.
The cold and fever this time round were pretty bad, but while I was lying in front of the TV and secretly thanking God for no longer having to feel guilty about not studying SPM, I found the perfect entertainment to pass the time away. In the news channels of all places. Reality television has never been as interesting as the lower house of Parliament was yesterday!
They had it all - starting with a sentimental intro from the PM about how the nation's "waiting with baited breath for the collective wisdom of this august House". Ryan Seacrest himself couldnt have put it any better. Despite all the buildup, I'm sure that no one besides sick people like me with nothing else to do, fasting 70-year olds in Mumbai and the national news channels even knew what was going on, but then that's typical of a reality show anyway.
There were moments of epic comedy, like when Shashi Tharoor's speech for drowned out for a couple of seconds by shouts of "IPL!" from the background. And then there was high drama, when the Left 'strategically' walked out right near the end of the show (though I personally think they were just sleepy and bored, more than anything else. It was past 10 anyway. The looks on their faces seemed to confirm my suspicions). By now the place was already half empty, because a lot of people decided to go to bed (aka "walk out"), leaving only the Congress and BJP to sit and glare at each other. I suppose everyone else had curfews, and honestly, which sane person would ever believe them if they said Parliament was working overtime?
Finally, to top it all off, at past 11 in the night, whoever was still left was asked to vote. "All in favour say Aye" was the call to arms. A thundering war cry that sounded more like "Dei!" was what followed. And with that, the Lokpal bill was passed (in Parliamentary language, "the eyes have it, the eyes have it"). If it were up to me, I'd renew the show for season 2 based on just that one moment.
But every good TV show needs a solid twist at the end followed by a black screen with the words "to be continued" in the middle. And this twist came when the second bill did not go through (in Parliamentary language, "the nose have it, the nose have it"). This immediately prompted someone to throw a tantrum and say that it was a sad day for democracy. They say it aint over till the fat lady sings. But in Parliament it aint over till someone says its a sad day for democracy.
Unfortunately as I write this, I realised that I'm feeling much better than I did yesterday, which means that there is, unfortunately, a lot of SPM in my immediate future. Perhaps its not too late to catch another cold from somewhere.
