Change is here, and visible. But, how long?

It has been a long time since I wrote something voluntarily. IIM curriculum, the job profile of a research analyst and top of all, my sheer laziness are to be blamed for my increased distance with writing over the last few years. But in a time when despair and helplessness is ruling in the minds and hearts of every Indian due to the ongoing CWG tamasha, Kashmir problem and many more such events, I got an opportunity to see and experience the change for betterment, a ray of hope, though not very sure how long this ray is going to be there. And it is this positive change which impelled me to share it through writing about it.

"Bhojpur and Delhi are not only separated by a 1000 miles but also by 5000 years", this powerful dialogue tells the disparity between Bhojpur (a small town in Bihar) and Delhi during the 70s in Sudhir Mishra's 2003 released cult movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. Let me tell you this 5000 years would have increased many times in the 90s when the rest of India was progressing faster than ever post liberalization while Bihar was going back to Lalten, Charwaha Vidyalaya, and many such things. Bhojpur is just a symbolic name in the dialogue, you replace it with any XYZ town of Bihar, the 5000 years gap would not have been much different.

During the last decade I have been nothing more than a visitor to my home state. The 90s experience of Bihar has made me very pessimistic about any positive change there and I was not alone. But 2010 has proved me wrong if not entirely and permanently, partly and momentarily for sure.

On September 13 I landed at Patna airport on my short trip of home. One of my very sincere friend was supposed to pick me up at the airport but he was not that sincere to get up by the time I landed. On calling him, he suggested me to take a cycle rickshaw to Boring Road. Following his instructions, I got into a rickshaw and then the rickshaw-puller like any other Bihari rickshaw-puller started conversation on widely varying subjects! Just after coming out of airport area, he showed me an leisure park/garden coming up and from there the conversation became really engaging. Conversation goes as:
Rickshaw wala: Sir, ye park bana rahe hai. Lagta hai ticket bhi lagayenge.

me: Achcha ticket, ye to theek nahi hoga.

Rickshaw wala:Are sir, ticket laga ke bhi isko badhiya se maintain rakhe to theek hi hai. bas kharab to tab hoga ki bana ke isko barbad hone ke liye chhod denge.

me: Ka ho ab ta Election aa rahal ba, kaisan mahol lagait ba abki baar?

Rickshaw wala: Sir kaam aur badlao ke hisab se to Nitish jee ko ek aur chance milna chahiye lekin election me ta bahut kuch hota hai se hum pakka to nahi keh sakte.

me: ab to Laloo jee aur Ram Vilas jee ke saath aa gailan ha ta o se kuch mushkil na hoi?

Rickshaw wala: nahi sir, ab log badlao aur vikas dekh liye hai. unko to ab nahi hi layenge.

me: Aisan ka badlao aur vikas ho gail hai?

Rickshaw wala: Sir ab dekh rahe hai na road jispe ki hum rickshaw chala sakte hai aur kanoon-vyavstha ki raat ke 10 baje tak hum rickshaw chala rahe hai nahi to pehle aisa tha ki shaam ke 6 baje hi koi aa ke rickshaw pe baith jata tha aur bhada dena to rehne dijiye jo paisa kama ke rakhe hote the wo bhi chhin ke chala jata tha.

My conversation continued further till I reached Boring Road, but the above conversation itself was enough to make me realize that something has changed and yes, it has changed up to the grass-root level. This is the much hyped buzzword in boardrooms and power circles- the inclusive growth. It was not that I was not able to see the changes in and around Patna, rather it was my inquisitiveness to inquire about the feelings of common man with regards to these changes.

I am not going to quote the growth and development figures of Bihar over the last five years as media has already tried hard to cash in the Bihar growth story to increase their TRPs and readership. But let me tell you that in a year when Bihar is facing third consecutive drought year, the condition of state is not that bad it used to be earlier. Now it has got roads which are incomparable to its roads in the past, rather better than the roads in many states. Roads are not like the much talked Hema Malini ke Gaal, there are potholes in the roads at places, but now potholes exist in roads and not the viceversa. And above all people have the hope that one day this road will be without potholes. Schools have got their building and now there are teachers in the schools too. As a result schools are full with kids. One can argue about the quality of teachers and teaching standards of these schools, but any realist should not forget till five year back what was the condition. Now there is intermittent electricity supply in remote villages too though by purchasing electricity from outside as Bihar doesn't enough electricity to light up its Capital! Above all these developments, there is law and order enabling the people of Bihar to use these roads, electricity and schools.

I do understand that any mature and sensible person would be reading the above paragraph with skepticism as if he is reading a fairytale. And that's true, all is not so well in the land where nothing used to be well! Even the current change which is due to an electoral result was not primarily for development, rather it was the outcome of caste equation which coincidentally led to the path of development.Corruption is still there. It is just that it has shifted from "bhrashta neta" to "bhrasta babu". The growth and development is mostly pushed by government spending. Industrial growth and private spending is still missing in the state. So, how long these developmental changes are sustainable, remains a big question in front of hero of the change story, Mr. Nitish Kumar.

Now the biggest question at hand, is this change story going to continue in Bihar or will there be a comma/full stop in this story as Bihar is facing the election next month. Caste and communal equation, switching loyalties, dhanbal aur bahubal, etc. are in action currently in Bihar to decide the fate of the state in the upcoming election. Nitish is being projected as a hero and a villain by his supporters and opponents respectively.

I have just one thing to say for Nitish: Don't be mistaken, he is a human being after all, don't make him another god as we have done with Sachin and Rahman, and so don't think he is infallible. He can commit mistakes and would have committed mistakes during the last five years. But for god sake please be practical as well while being rational, he has achieved development, has shown ray of hope and optimism and controlled law and order situation in a land which was/is supposed to be lawless and full of corrupt netas and bahubalis. He, an engineer from Patna Engineering College has achieved this change amidst such unfavorable circumstances what our most respected, celebrated and educated lots of Manmohan Singh, an Oxford alumni, Rahul Gandhi, A Cambridge alumni, Omar Abdullah, a popular celebrity on YouTube has failed to achieve. Needless to say, how much the intellectual and elite class of Indian Metros may scream our highly educated and intellectuals like Manmohan, Rahul, and Omar have not achieved anything closer to what Nitish has achieved under worse circumstances. Commonwealth Games, Kashmir fiasco, Price rise, spectrum allocation and the list will go on. Anyways leave it, after all these are all done by forward looking intellectual leaders of educated youths.

I am keeping my fingers crossed waiting till November 26th when I will get the answer of my question. How long the wave of change is going to be there in Bihar?