I was horrified to read about people protesting renovation of government buildings in Delhi. There weren’t that many of them, obviously, because going to jail is an inconvenience at the best of times, but a few critics did have awful things to say about this plan on social media platforms. They wanted to know why this was necessary at all, let alone at a time when jobs have disappeared, vaccines have been shipped abroad as gifts, and we are all struggling with a pandemic that shows no signs of going away. 

If I could, I would sit each of these naysayers down and explain why our taxes need to be spent on making Parliament look better. When a classy, historical building is torn down and replaced with something brighter, gaudier, and more akin to a Bollywood set, it sends the rest of the world a very strong message. It tells them that we, as a country, are unique. We don’t respect the past because we shimmy and shake towards a shiny future. We thumb our noses at class and embrace everything crass with pride. The men and women who represent us, and spend their time in the heavily subsidised canteens of these new buildings, will inevitably be happier when their surroundings start to reflect their backgrounds. Eventually, their happiness will trickle down to the nearest billionaire businessman who, in turn, will help spread the goodwill among thousands of shareholders. It is a massive win for India.