Whenever I find myself at a crossroads, struggling to figure out which way to go, I turn to the men and women in Parliament for answers. They are like beacons in the darkness, sharing their erudition and intelligence with anyone who cares enough to partake of what they are offering. They are on all our television screens if and when you need them, on the Sansad TV channel, and it’s always enlightening to spend some time watching them at work because one gets an overwhelming sense of confidence that everything is right with our country.

I thought about why this occurred time and again: why did I feel my anxieties and fears melt away while watching these elected representatives speak, shout, thump tables, or applaud? How did they give so many speeches without saying anything of substance at all? With time, I realised it was their demeanour and positive attitude to life that made them so appealing. I also thought, with pleasure, of the hundreds of other Indians who undoubtedly stop whatever they’re doing for an hour or so daily, to watch these people and derive the same satisfaction I do. It’s why I think of Sansad TV as a gift, a general entertainment channel and an aphrodisiac all rolled into one. It’s impossible to move away from it without a massive boost of serotonin. We really don’t give it as much credit as we should.