A Worrier Looks at Bihar!

Krishna, Bihar Is Calling!

Battle of flags in Patna: BJP and Congress workers fight it out!
Photo:India Today

Pardon me for repeating myself: but I am addicted to worrying. Please, I am no commonplace worrier losing sleep over ordinary man’s life problems-petrol price, traffic, maids’ unannounced leave, job issues. No, I specialize in getting my stomach in knots about things I have no control over.

Currently, the bull’s eye on my anxiety circle is Bihar, specifically the coming elections.

There should be no confusion in your minds over this. I am neither contesting, nor fielding a candidate; not even writing a political commentary. But I am an Indian citizen, born and living here, have an Indian passport. So, worrying about matters of national interest should be my birthright, isn’t it?

After all, when news channels think politics is India’s only activity and air it 24x7, why shouldn’t I broadcast my worries too?

Earlier this month, election dates were announced for Bihar. I can see and hear leaders of various political dispensations discussing, debating, shouting over and vociferously claiming how important their role is in the development of the state.

Now, I have been to Bihar only once, that too straight to Jamalpur to attend the silver jubilee celebrations of the ‘passing out’ of Mani’s SCRA batch, and back. Yet I know its reputation; the unofficial national supplier of workforce for sowing and harvesting in Punjab, and industries in Mumbai, Surat, and running odd jobs in Chandigarh and Kolkata.

The geography textbooks say that lack of opportunities lead to migration of workforce to other places. Now you get my point? 

Bihar is our neighbour, so most convenient for people there to come to work here. You bump into one or two every day in Lucknow. In fact, our domestic help also hails from there, so I know this first-hand.

Analysts would dismiss it as ‘anecdotal evidence’, but tell me who has not heard of food material for midday meals in schools sold as cattle feed for paltry sums in villages of UP? 

Corruption in Bihar, however, is a lifestyle choice. From what I hear, it is among the top contenders for prize in the ‘cut’ system-charging a commission for getting government financial aid.

Take the example of BPL ration scheme. Every person is entitled to 4 kgs of rice and one kg of wheat per month 12 months a year. But what do they actually get? Four kgs of foodgrains per person per month and that too for 11 months. December or January do not appear on the dealer’s calendar and everything disappearing goes into his pocket.

Our domestic help’s mother, an illiterate woman who probably cannot even count the change, went to the Consumer Service Point (CSP), banking kiosk, licensed by the State Bank of India to save the villagers from having to trudge the broken roads to bank branches in bigger towns.

She has to put a thumb impression just to check if money has been credited to her account.

She came back, annoyed that her son had not sent any money. Later, an agent of the Chief Minister’s Labour Fund scheme came to her door, demanding his share of Rs 1000 from the Rs 5000 aid.

She had no idea what he was talking about. Off she went to the CSP to check her account. After the usual thumb impression, she was horrified to note that the sum had been deposited in her account but taken out the day she had ‘checked’ her account.

When she confronted the CSP owner, he merely waved a withdrawal receipt, adding. “Do whatever you want.”

The CSP where she had opened her bank account is in Panapur, a three km walk, because there is no public transport. The officials merely shrugged- “Our system shows you took out the money.”

The woman has no money, the agent is annoyed he did not get his cut. But the system is happy that the official records are complete.

And life moves on.

Floods Hajipur Photo: Prabhat Khabar

After the floods every year, construction work is taken up under the MNREGA scheme. The mukhiya (village chief) ‘charges’ Rs 1000 for every Rs 5,000 distributed to the workers.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, Rs 2000 must be paid as kameesan (commission) for the Rs 12,000 given. Sanitation has a ‘tax’, you can say.

So much for government announcements!

The only glimmer of hope is the girls who try to utilize financial aid given to them for clearing their matric and intermediate classes, to study. Yet, the noose-like caste system and patriarchy prevent them from going out to study further or earn. They get married, and repeat the lifecycle of their mothers, albeit with mobile phone and the motorcycles they must give in dowry.

Will they have a decisive voice in this election, I don’t know.

The government has schemes, but do they reach the people they should? After all, who is the government made up of?

A former chief minister has been in and out of jail for fodder scam.

A former minister, now member of Parliament from the PM’s own party, (and alas, my own contemporary from the prestigious Punjab University) bought a fleet of ambulances from his local area development funds. These vehicles, however, sat unused during COVID, because as he told the opposition, there was ‘a shortage of drivers’.

That, my dear readers, is the needlepoint-tip of the proverbial iceberg. I am afraid the rest is also melting as fast as the glaciers.

Now every party is promising to change the face of the state if elected, but I think Bihar is beyond human endeavours, even our ‘deified’ charismatic Prime Minister’s.

Yet, I continue to follow the news from Bihar, because who knows- maybe Krishna’s next avatar will be born there or He might choose the state as His karmabhoomi. After all, He is said to appear wherever and whenever there is excess of sins.

Or is He already packing?

                           Biharis going home for Chhath. Photo: Times of India FB

                                                                                            - Anupama S Mani