HOMEWARDS

The title ‘How Bihar can rise as a developed state’ (rediff article http://tinyurl.com/ykqcxuy on January 4, 2010) evoked memories of a land left behind years ago. I remember the old rusty road I walked on for good fifteen years, yet it still opened up a new space in me. Patna, on the womb of the Ganges had slowly settled at the back of my palms. Patna, a land that hasn’t moved and the clocks turned cold ever since the greats stepped on its bare hands. A city slowed down for the masses so that each poor soul has his share of bread and flourish in its expanse. There aren’t many nine to five jobs in the city shorn of the hustle and bustle of the Monday madness. Unlike big cities where every moment on the street is a parade of imported cars, this city is quaint with school children interspersed with the poor masses. The sensible long abandoned this land during heyday of Lalooraj where nothing except small businesses was functional. A visit to the Post Office would take more time than expected even for posting a letter because Chota babu had suddenly fallen ill or the unscheduled tea party of official brethren was taking some time to round off. The sojourn at the Post Office that began early morning would inevitably end in time for a late afternoon nap. Government failed in every sphere as the rich amassed more wealth by unfair means. Yet it played a major role in the daily life of its people.

Since time immemorial Bihar has been a place for students, educators and learners. Even for a dearth of infrastructure it offers the best of education in the country. Our school didn’t have a building of its own and we occupied rented houses for our classes. In today’s milieu where the world moves with the English Language, Bihar has the best of Missionary schools with English as the medium of instruction. They have left an indelible mark in my psyche and made me the person I am today.
Today we suffer due to lack of investments in our land. Many of the rich natural resources have fallen in erstwhile Bihar to a state called Jharkhand. I remember taking long trips to the industrial area on my bicycle where hardly any industry flourished. A school boy then, I met a young man, Pompi, twenty six years old whose father had a factory in the same industrial area. They were shutting down their factory and going home to Rajasthan. When I asked Pompi the reason for this action he quietly answered:
“You won’t like to know, it’s too complicated”
All I could guess was that there probably had been a breakdown in the machinery due to lack of infrastructure pointing in all possible ways to the government. Another such house, my father’s close friend had several industries around Bihar but all of them failed as they went bankrupt. Now an old and sick man, he sits silently avoiding shareholders and waiting for the Final call.
Below the incorrigible layer of bureaucracy lies a Bihar that I have known. Its rich stillness is another world to ponder. It is like taking a sabbatical from work or studies. There is time to learn and absorb rather than being ruled by the clock. For seven years I watched the river Ganges flow at Gandhi Ghat next to our college. Potla Baba (the man with a small muslin bag slung over his shoulders) would sit under a neem tree by the river and chant sacred hymns of longing and devotion.
“Babu this is our mother that constantly flows to cover our sins. She has a strong current of anger and anybody who tries to play with her would be dissolved and finished. She causes havoc every year crossing her boundaries causing floods. It is her way of searching for her true sons. She finally settles to a narrow stream dumping fertile soil to its banks and providing enough food to last the year for its teeming children. Bow down and touch her, be true and honest for the Mother knows you.” Buddha may have found the void he was looking for at Bodhgaya under the holy tree.
We await a time when Bihar would be called an industrial city. A time when all the riches of the world would pour down this forsaken land. Somewhere in the future (maybe) when people would consider settling here rather than immigrating to the US. If it can happen to every nook and cranny of the US then why not Bihar. The deplorable Government policies and ways have forced a major chunk of the workforce desert this land forever. All my friends left for bigger cities while I was at college in Patna.
We all wish to see a resurgent Bihar and so will be one day. On that day I shall be heading home. Pray
I pray for thee,
My homeland,
In silent whispers of falling leaves,
When thou come and we meet,
I await thee,
Come sweet Lord,
The time is ripe.
Amen.