Proud to be a BIHARI

One day, while I was chatting with one of my friends, she wrote a word. I asked her what did it mean? She says, do not you know it? Are you a Bihari??. I could not follow the meaning since the word was misspelt.

Another day, one of my friends was caught cheating in the examination, the teacher asked him to leave the examination hall. He requested the teacher for clemency, the teacher retorts "This is no Bihar".

Has Bihari become a synonymn for some invective or insult? Is it the right means to express your contempt? Does not it show your regional bias and chauvinism? How are you any better than those imperial whites who justifies the enslavement of blacks on the pretext of racial superiority? If you do not know what Bihar is, let me tell you.

Bihar, a state in the eastern part of the country. If you wish to go by history, it is the land which gave India great kings like Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka and many historians consider, Patliputra of Magadha was the first capital of India. This land was the birthplace of great religious and spiritual leaders like Mahavira and Buddha whose teachings have made India known as the land of spiritual divinity. This land was the playground of warriors like Veer Babu Kunwar Singh, who immolated his hand in the first war of independence. Mahatma Gandhi too chose Bihar as the place for his first agitation against the British (remember Champaran??). Our first president of India, Rajendra babu too was a bihari.

Bihar people are not stupid, instead they are hard working and intelligent. If you have any doubts, you can check the results of Civil services exam in India, and unfailingly, Biharis have figured on the list in much greater numbers than any other state. Even Bollywood had its share of biharis in the form of stalwarts as Shatrughan Sinha and Prakash Jha. So, the question that props up in every mind is what is wrong with Bihar??

Politics, poverty, casteism, ignorance and lack of education are the diseases which are making Bihar suffer. There has been literally no development during last twenty years. The chief minister of Bihar, Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav is an epitome of corrupt politician. He is among the most famous politicians in the country, but known more for his rustic style, scandals and the ability to rule a state for last 15 years than any philanthropic deed. Casteism is so much deeply ingrained in the society that even one of my IIT friends says he is superior because he is a JHA, a brahmin and we lesser mortals can never equal him. So, till the day, educated people like him will willingly keep their eyes shut, there can be no sunrise. In Bihar, the condition of education is pathetic and almost every Bihari needs to go out of the state to receive quality education. With lack of infrastructure and prevading corruption, any economic boom is a distant dream.

But, even with all these scars marring the face of Bihar, I am proud to be a Bihari. After all no child shuns his mother, because she is no more beautiful.