Page 16 - Guide to Parliament House

Chapter IV

Lok Sabha Chamber

General layout : The Chamber of the Lok Sabha has a horse-shoe shape.

Speaker^ Chair : On a raised platform in the centre of the straight line connecting
the two ends of the horse-shoe shaped Chamber is placed the Speaker's Chair, de­
signed by Sir Herbert Baker, the famous architect. The Chair has a canopy over
its head and a desk in front. Above the canopy of the Chair is seen the State Emblem
(Asoka Lions) carved in wood with the motto 'Dharma Chakra Pravananaya' inscribed
in Devanagari script at the base of the Emblem. The motto means 'To advance the
wheel of Dharma' which appropriately expresses the ideal of a Legislature. The
motto is illuminated by a neon light.

Official Gallery : To the right of the Chair is located the Official Gallery meant
only for the use of Officials of the Government who are required to be present in
attendance on Ministers in connection with the business of the House. This Gallery
has a seating capacity of about 54 persons,

Special Box : To the left of the Chair is the Special Box reserved for the mem­
bers of the family and guests of the President, and for other distinguished guests
and has a seating capacity of about 24 persons.

Sound Control Booth : On the left of the Special Box is the Sound Control
Booth so situated as to afford the Officer-in-Charge of the sound amplifying equip­
ment a clear view of the whole Chamber, who is thus able to watch the various
speakers and control the volume of each speaker's voice according to necessity.

Tape recording machines are also kept in tliis booth to record the proceedings of
the House to enable Official Reporters to check up whenever necessary the accuracy
of the proceedings taken down by them and to keep a permanent record of important
speeches.
Simultaneous Interpretation Booths : On the right of the Official Gallery there
are two sound-proof glasspaned booths situated side by side for the use of
interpreters who render a simultaneous translation of the speeches of Members from
English to Hindi and vice versa.

Automatic Vote Recording : On the walls on either side of the Speaker's Chair
are Lamp Field Indicator Boards and on the two extreme corners of the Chamber
there is a set of Time Indicator Board and Result Indicator Board. These form part
of the Automatic Vote Recording equipment which was installed in 1957 to facilitate
a quick recording of votes by Members in cases of Division.

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