What does it mean to be a Bihari?

Few days ago, I watched a special report by a leading news channel : What does it mean to be a Bihari?

I was amazed.

Does being Bihari mean anything different than being a human? Are we any different from people living in Kerala or Delhi? Are we really a different species altogether?

Well in a sense we are. It took us more than 20 years to decide that having food on our plates is much more important than whether we are a Yadav or a Rajput. May be we would have never learnt this fact.

80 million odd people have faced the brunt of the worst governance seen in the recent history for two long decades. The populace was bullied into believing that being a specific caste or religion meant we need to elect a representative who had a one-point agenda : Loot the people and bully them even further. In a sense, we Biharis had become insensitive to the fact that there is something called law and order. All this due to the greed of one man : Laloo Prasad Yadav. Never before in history has so big a populace been fooled for so long by one man.

Most of these have changed now. Nitish Kumar has brought some semblance of law and order in the state. The goondas of Laalooraj are now cooling their heels in jails. Roads and bridges have been built. Employment opportunities have been created. SMB are now encouraged. Industries being welcomed with open hands.

I am still a bit cynical about the fact that Bihar has seen a turn around. But I sincerely hope that the pot-bellied civil engineer Chief Minister champions the cause of Biharis.

All we Biharis dream of the day when we would be able to go back to our homeland and earn two decent meals honestly. I for one would definitely love to go back !!
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4 Comments:

zephyr said...

It is atrocious to single out a particular state to quiz on such a question. So long as we don't transcend parochial considerations, we will never mature as a nation. Even no Biharis are rejoicing at the drubbing that Laloo and his allies have faced in this election.

Your dream will come true surely.

Sh@s said...

Hope things change for the better and Bihar earns a name for something better than just be remembered as Laloo's Bihar or for past corruptions.

The Pack said...

Dude!! I would also LOOOOOVE to come back to my home land...but...it is still too early to say anything...WE still do not know the grass root realities which MIGHT be boiling into a scam of some different sort....

varsha said...

No they shdn't have such stories but as someone who is married to a Bihari,I think that being a BIHARI or growing up in Bihar means having seen the worst and having an indomitable will to rise up and surmount the odds.
Like yr blog esp the poem-sensitive coming from a guy.