New Delhi:
On a cold and rainy Tuesday morning, Paromita Rawat was getting ready to enter the Lok Sabha.
Along with 40 classmates from her school in Noida, this was an opportunity to see Indian democracy at work.
But before the children could get their final security clearance to watch Parliament in action, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for an hour.
The controversy among politicians centred on whether retail giant Wal-Mart lobbied over the last four years in India to gain access to the market here. Lobbying is illegal in India.
The students waited for the House to start, the Opposition, for a response from the government.
At noon, when both Houses got back to work, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister assured the Opposition that the controversy has worried the government as well. "We are open to an inquiry," said Kamal Nath.
Once inside, the students watched the action live. MPs raising the issue of Wal-Mart, demanding answers, slogans and voices getting drowned in the din. The Upper House returned to normal functioning but Lok Sabha continued with its protest, forcing an adjournment.
"This is a big achievement for our school," said an excited Paromita, adding, "We saw our MPs demanding justice." Her classmates tried recounting the famous personalities they saw in the House. "I saw Yechury and lot of other MPs," says Harsh.
And what they did they think of the noise? "They were fighting for justice, I think," offered Harsh, a little unsure of what occupied our parliamentarians.
And what about the arguments? "We also have verbal duels in school but a little more disciplined," says a young student who refused to share her name. Others nodded in agreement. Another thing that everyone seemed to agree: they won't forget this trip in a long time.