I, Bihari

THEN

NOW

Always wanted to write something on this... finally got rid of my procrastinating habits and m writing something, I should have written ages back.
I m a Bihari, was born one and though technically m now a Jharkhandi, still believe in my heart of hearts that I m a Bihari to the core. Have traveled extensively round the country and have marveled at the changes every place brings, one thing that remains constant and consistent is the cardinal rule , “Biharis are to be hated for they are disgusting corrupt and extremely backward” as a result of which the moment u mention u r from Bihar u can see conversation cease and eyebrows raised.

Ok we have a peculiar accent that can put any listener beyond a shred of doubt that the speaker is Bihari. Our economy is in tatters. We have an ex CM, present railway minister who pays more attention in entertaining the public by his colorful remarks than development. Crime rate in our state is among the worst. Corruption is at an all time high. No one pays any attention either to literacy or higher education. The media famously coins a term BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) when it refers to Bihar. People all around the country complain that no matter where the biharis are they group and become violent. I can go on and on highlighting the alleged pitfalls of my state.

Before I go any further let me share some incidents that actually happened with me.

On my way to Kota in 2003 I stopped at a place about 60kms from Kota and was sitting on the platform waiting for my next train when an elderly gentleman sleeping nearby struck a conversation with me and asked me where I was from. On replying that I was from bihar the gentleman sat down and with wide eyed wonder enquired “tell me son ,is it true that if I keep 100 bucks in my pocket in bihar ,in a second it will disappear”

In Kota I along with some of my friends went to a restaurant and while waiting for a table to clear the owner walks up to us, smiles and asks us where we were from. Some reply Delhi to which he smiles approvingly, some reply Mumbai which draws more affectionate smiles. When my turn comes I say bihar to which he almost gets a heart attack but recovers in time to add,” its so difficult to believe you are from bihar “, to which I promptly reply,” why uncle do all Biharis have horns on their foreheads with which u identify them”. Needless to add he was too taken aback to reply.

While we are still in Kota, my friend had a roommate who was from Delhi. They got along very well until one day when his roommate’s mom came .Among many things, she asked her son, one was about his roommate and on learning that he was Bihar she exclaimed in horror and asked her son to be careful and keep all his stuff under lock and key as all Biharis are thieves.

I mentioned three events from Kota, not because I loved the place or that the place has a special place in my hearts. It’s merely because that place had a very cosmopolitan crowd as students from almost every part of the country came there and hence their views are consistent with the views of the country. Another such cosmopolitan place is manipal. If all the events happening in Kota made me proud of being a bihari only because of the prejudices prevalent in the public about bihar manipal reinforced the pride in me. If kota was about the apathy of the previous generation towards bihar, manipal was all about the same genes in my generation and the inferiority complex among Biharis themselves.

In the first year during our orientation program it was a common sight seeing the guys and gals from Bihar passing themselves off as delhities or mumbaikars just to escape the ridicule of non biharis so much so that at one point my friend got on the podium and much to the delight of everyone present sarcastically remarked that even his train to manipal passes through Delhi. I happened to ask a guy why he said he was from Delhi when he was from Bihar and he honestly replied that if the gals in the class knew he was bihari he could kiss the idea of having a girl friend goodbye.

I have no bihari accent and I can manage to speak in English and that is why so many people here thought I wasn’t from bihar and on being told so their reaction was exactly the same as that uncle in the restaurant in kota which brings us back to the original question, why are biharis considered so vile that the entire universe is hell bent in ridiculing them.

I am not going to mention the most cliché line used to defense of the Bihari about their numbers in IAS or IPS cadres or the excellent work they are doing there. But I can’t help setting some facts straight.

We speak with an accent. Is that grounds enough to discriminate against us. In that case I can easily point out that almost every state has an accent of its own. Why don’t you look down upon a delhite when he uses a mish mash of Haryanvi and Punjabi and tops it up with the two most hated expletives in a Bihari dictionary? Need I say anything about a Bengali and his accent? Or for that matter a mumbaikars when they speak with the mumbaiya accent that seems heavily inspired by a bollywood movie. And when we are at it how about any south Indian state? And yet you have the nerve to ridicule us for our accent.

The economy is in tatters. Is it our fault? The politicians there are corrupt. Try counting the names of the politicians you honestly believe are not corrupt. The ex CM’s histrionics’, well I have heard them all and you have to admit it he is a channel stopper. You can’t help watching or hearing it when he speaks no matter how much you hate him. They say he has been the worst CM ever. How can you forget when the entire nation was in flames post babri majjid Bihar witnessed not one communal riot? Same post godhra. You say He hasn’t done anything to improve the condition in Bihar. Why don’t you point the blame at centre’s doorsteps for never giving funds to Bihar where they could afford give crores of bucks to J&K? And why make Lalu the scape goat when for 40 years since independence he was no where near the CM’s chair?

You say Biharis are violent and hence to be dreaded. Ever wondered why? You drive them up against a wall and when they retaliate you run crying, we told you so. The only reason why biharis gel so well is because they know that their only chance against you is their unity which thanks to the society and upbringing in bihar they imbibe since their birth.

A bihari is not what he once was. You made him what he now is and your prejudices are confirming your worst fears. The original idea of a bihari was a dedicated and ideal person, so dedicated that he toiled better than you and got better outputs. You got insecured and started picking up on him and in the process you added a new dimension to him. He now knows how to defend himself and fight for what is his but trust me when you remove the hard exterior he is like anyone of you. It just takes an extra effort on your part to walk the extra mile to know him before having a bias against him. Do that and trust me you are guaranteed a life long friend.