Musings on the sidelines of a Vidhana Soudha Tour..

Priya Chetty Rajagopal was full of stories about being at one of the first official guided tours inside Vidhana Soudha . The launch of the public tours to Vidhana Soudha brings back some nostalgic memories.

As Deputy Secretary (Protocol and Cabinet Affairs) Vidhana Soudha was under my watch 35 years back. I had a super competent Coorg lady, Seetha as my under secretary. While she used to do a daily inspection of Vidhana Soudha, right from the air cooling plant in the basement to the huge flag whipping on top of the building, I used to join her occasionally. Many great memories!

There were some unique features of Vidhana Soudha. I wonder if those still survive.

First, Vidhana Soudha wasn't air conditioned. All the rooms except for the two legislature halls, opened to the corridors, which were open to the weather. However the two legislature halls were centrally air-cooled. The air cooling plant was in the basement and the huge fans, when switched on, created a great suction. One has to brace oneself against the walls and avoid coming too close to the grille covering the fans, because one could be pinned down on it.

Second, the acoustics in the two legislature halls were superb. They were no echoes and the mikes and speakers, which were made of brass were securely screwed into the wood. The old earphones were also made of metal and were finely designed. The acoustic system was provided by a company named 'Tannoy', probably American. The company, formed in 1920, still exists and makes high quality sound equipment. The Vidhana Soudha equipment was a feast for the eyes. It ran on valves and had its own cooling system, as it generated a lot of heat. One individual knew how to operate it. When he retired, he was reemployed to take care of the system. He would land up a week before any legislative session and painstakingly test the equipment. I was once given a master class by him; it was a delight to watch his love for the equipment and see him run his hands over it. I've forgotten all that I learnt, but the one thing I carry with me is that maintaining a high quality piece of equipment is as soul exalting an experience as going to a place of worship for the faithful. And that gentleman had the same bliss on his face when he worked with the equipment. He stayed tirelessly on all session days, ensuring that the sound system performed without a hitch.

The flag that flies on top of the Vidhana Soudha is enormous. Made of Khadi as Indian flags are meant to be, every evening it is lowered at dusk and carefully folded and stored. One gentleman knew how to handle that task. As it was lowered, he would hold the billowing, whipping flag and expertly fold it, never once allowing it to touch the ground, out of respect for it. On a rainy day this could be a daunting task. If one climbs right up to the narrow platform on top of the main some, the wind could blow one off it, if one is not careful. Particularly during the monsoon months.

That gentleman also was re employed and tasked with training a substitute till he could take over.

Back in the day, all rooms in Vidhana Soudha had the same clocks. They were minimalist in design, with no numbers, just markings and simple rectangular arms. There were no second hands, and the minute hand would move with a soft click once every minute. All these clocks were electrically driven and connected to a master clock in the basement. So all rooms showed the same time. That master clock was a marvel of design. Not very large, but made of brass and steel, and enclosed in a dust free glass box. The same gentleman who looked after the Tannoy sound system cared for this Swiss made clock.I don't think those clocks exist now. I think they were removed sometime between 2004 and 2009.

Years later, I visited the Swiss Horological museum in Neuchatel, to see, amongst other things, the centrally operated clock system used by the Swiss Federal Railways. This system was manufactured by Moser Baer, to the design given by a railway employee of the Swiss Railways. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the Vidhana Soudha system.

This is the Swiss Railway clock. If one removes the red Second hand, this bears a strong resemblance to the Vidhana Soudha clock.

I made desultory efforts to locate where the old clocks had gone and tried to get one for myself. But I did not follow up diligently. Years before that, I was able to pick up a scrapped old ceiling fan from the Attara Kachery. With four wooden blades. Those ran on 20 cycles power supplied by the Shivasamudram power station and then were rewound to deal with the current frequency of today.

Many old stories to tell. I was a young chap and was often stopped from entering Vidhana Soudha because they thought I was a student. 😂😂. After my stint as DS protocol all the Group D staff began to recognise me finally. All nice chaps who took a great deal of pride in their work. We would always ask about each other's welfare years later.

Family snap from Republic Day, 1990. No walls, gates, or anything else. No wonder the staff used to stop me from entering VS! But like the Simon and Garfunkel song goes, 'Time hurries on, and the leaves that are green, turn to brown.

No, they were AC fans. But they ran on 20 cycles power. They can be used for 50 cycles power, but they produce an annoying hum.f

This is that fan. Coincidentally I was planning to fix it to the ceiling this weekend! It's enormously heavy, around 25 kilos. So I have to fabricate a special bracket for it.I have an old regulator to go with it. Strictly not from the same era. This is from the fifties.

Well, let me join one of the tours now and see what’s the same and what’s changed.