tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20008280805367010892024-03-17T12:23:43.567+05:30One BiharA NEW AWAKENINGOne Biharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884078424853958904noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-73821885683144903802010-06-11T10:52:00.006+05:302010-06-11T12:19:19.148+05:30Patna Airport and The Juggernaut of Bihar's economic developmentWhen news came of Bihar being the second fastest growing state in India, there was all round skepticism, even derision in some quarters. I remember the TV debate in which a geriatric retired member of the Indian Planning Commission tried to deride the suave NK Singh by hinting that as the basic data is supplied by the state government, there is reason to doubt it. Funny why he never doubted the data from any other state or even Bihar data for years when its growth was slower. Bizarre was the statement of Mr Pronab Sen, the Chief Statistician of India who, in spite of the data being released by his own Central Statistical Organization, claimed it is not his data. He was probably implying that he is a mere clerk whose job is to tabulate the data given by the state governments.<div><br /></div><div>I am happy to say that there a been continued flow of data which supports the story of an economic turnaround in Bihar. There was the news of Bihar being the fastest growing cement consumer in India, then the huge growth in foreign tourists in Bihar (mostly Gaya) and now there is the news of <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Patna-airport-notches-No-1-spot-in-air-traffic-passenger-growth-/articleshow/6026297.cms">Patna being the fastest growing airport in India</a>. Year on year, it had a massive 60.8% growth in passenger traffic. Having been a regular user of the Patna airport since 1988, I always believed in the potential of the airport. I have seen withdrawal of the regular international flights from Kathmandu, the introduction of the IA flight to Mumbai in the early nineties via Ahmadabad and later by Sahara via Lucknow or Ranchi, the increasing frequency of the flights to Delhi and so on. I always found the flights to be full and getting a ticket never easy. So I always felt that there was scope to have more flights. In this context, I was very surprised when IA discontinued its flight to Mumbai. As a private citizen and one who is directly affected, I tried to take this up with the authorities but was told that this is a commercial decision taken due to lack of traffic. I found it strange since all the flights I had taken on this sector around that time were pretty much full. Thankfully, it is the age of liberalization and private carriers took up the space and we soon had Mumbai - Patna flights by Kingfisher and Go Air proving my hunch to be right. There is the similar story of telecom. When a modern day enterprise like Airtel, free from biases or a blinkered view of Bihar, came to the state, telecom took off in Bihar and the current growth is quite in step with the rest of the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>This growth amply proves that when Bihar has been given a chance, it has delivered. These nail the lie that there is something inherently wrong with Bihar. These negate the cynicism of the likes of the above mentioned planner who have hitherto dominated economic policy. Historically,they have come up with harebrained schemes like the Freight Equalization Scheme and then blaming Bihar! In spite of these obstacles, Bihar has delivered. Now it is for the rest of the country, particularly the central government, to amend policies which can accelerate this growth. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the airport specifically, Patna is a very small runway and very little scope to increase its length or the operational area. So a modern airport with facility to land aircraft like A380 is required. I know the planners may find the idea laughable, but given that Bihar is a landlocked state with a massive and increasingly prosperous non resident population. There is vast scope of tourism given the holy places of the Buddhists and Jains in Bihar. There is no reason to continue to penalize the poor migrant from Siwan by forcing him to go t Delhi and then take a flight to Dubai. (Siwan has among the largest Indians in the gulf). The international hub of Singapore is just two hours away. A good airport at Patna will convert the trickling traffic to a gushing stream. I hope Praful Patel as also the authorities at Patna listen to the changing times and take appropriate steps.</div>TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-69017003485268548022010-05-27T14:26:00.003+05:302010-05-27T14:52:35.713+05:30Obituary - John Shepherd-Barron - Inventor of the ATM machineJohn Shepherd-Barron passed away on May 15. His is an interesting case of an invention which can be called a true Eureka moment. One day he was in an urgent need of cash but was locked out of his bank since the banking hours were over. While having his bath, the idea of a cash dispensing machine like a chocolate dispensing machine struck him. Being an engineer working with De La Rue instruments, he could give shape to his idea and designed what could be called the first ATM machine. This machine did not work with a plastic card but with a slightly radio active cheque. This machine was first installed by Barclay's Bank in North London on June 27, 1967. Come to think of it, the world existed without an ATM machine just over 40 years ago and now we have more than 1.7 million of them installed worldwide.<div><br /></div><div>Another interesting snippet is that originally, he wanted a 6 digit PIN. But when he asked his wife, she said that she can't remember a number more than 4 digit. And thus was the ubiquitous 4 digit PIN born.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shepherd-Barron's principal motivation while inventing the machine was 24*7 availability of cash. However, it helped reduce the cost of a transaction greatly and replaced the human tellers rapidly. Today in India, the average cost of an ATM transaction could be as low as Rs 12 (majority of the cost going towards cash counting and transportation) while the cost of the same transaction if done through a teller clerk, in spite of the low salaries, could be Rs 50 or more. The difference between cost of cash dispensed by humans and the ATM machines in the more well economies such as UK or USA would be much higher.<br /><div><br /></div><div>It is quite possible that the plastic card itself or mobile payment products or another invention could obviate the need of an ATM machine in future and the ATM machine becomes but a footnote in the long history of financial innovation. But at the moment, this machine is the mainstay of the retail banking industry replacing the need of a branch with this machine. In fact, Paul Volcker, the former US Fed Reserve Chairman, described the ATM as the last truly great innovation in financial services</div></div>TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-63468610321264838422010-05-25T15:58:00.002+05:302010-05-25T16:06:58.628+05:30Community Outreach Program - a Bihar Foundation Mumbai initiative<div>I am delighted to share that we, Bihar Foundation Mumbai, initiated a community outreach program at <a href="http://www.yourstory.in/news/4013-community-outreach-program-of-bihar-foundation-mumbai">Mumbai </a>yesterday. As part of this program, a group of 50 students and 20 senior citizens are visiting the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya. They would also be visiting places of tourist interest at Patna like the museum as also a visit to the Vishnupad temple at Gaya. The outbound train from Lokmanya Tilak terminus was flagged off by the tourism minister of Maharashtra, Varsha Gaikwad.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Govt of Bihar is also rolling out the red carpet for the delegates. The return journey will be flagged off by Ram Pravesh Rai, Tourism minister of Bihar. It is thus one of those happy bipartisan events where both the UPA and NDA ministers are participating.</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed watching the enthusiasm of the people going to Gaya. And why should they not be? They are going to have a long and exciting journey to the holiest of their shrine besides a visit to the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Patna. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is but a small event, like the gentle first rain drops at the peak of summer. Inevitably, it will get evaporated soon. Hopefully, it will also generate the "saundha" smell as also herald the outpouring of monsoon in the coming months. Small as this event maybe, there are two firsts: proactive initiative by Bihar to take tourists from Maharashtra to Bihar as also taking Indian Budhdhist pilgrims to Bodh Gaya as opposed to the foreigners. An interesting snippet is that the the Gaya airport is the only airport in India and possibly in the world that has several regular and chartered international flights from different destinations but not even one from within India. </div><div><br /></div><div>I do hope this will some day lead to a direct train between Gaya and Mumbai in to facilitate Budhdhist pilgrimage from Maharashtra to Gaya. Thus the traffic will not remain a one way traffic.</div>TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-5898370755602161092010-04-21T21:57:00.002+05:302010-04-21T22:04:18.186+05:30Nitish Launches blog: More than 400 comments in 2 daysI was directed to this blog by a friend just now<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://nitishspeaks.blogspot.com/">http://nitishspeaks.blogspot.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Nitish's blog must be generating a lot of traffic since it had attracted more than 400 comments in just two days. I also liked his first entry, where he highlighted the bicycle for girls scheme. I can say from personal experience that this has been a huge success. Part of the reason for success is the innovation in its execution, where instead the govt procuring the bicycles and then distributing it, the govt chose to give out the cash directly to the beneficiary thereby letting the user choose the bicycle of his choice. </div><div><br /></div><div>If I recall Patna of my school days, there were hardly any ladies riding a bicycle, let alone a motorcycle or scooter. All one could see was very very few ladies driving a motorcar. In this social milieu, to see girls riding to their school in rural Bihar is nothing short of a revolution. Godspeed to such schemes!</div>TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-46458903379549261662008-12-04T02:10:00.003+05:302008-12-04T02:19:16.911+05:30Mumbai terror attack: What we can contributeIt is now one full week since terrorists attacked the landmarks of Mumbai. Amidst the 24 hour media coverage, for me, the haunting image of the attack has been our ill equipped policemen fighting the armed to the teeth cowards from hell. Think of the lone RPF constable at CST throwing a chair to distract attention of a terrorist so that he can fire from his obsolete .303 rifle. Think of ATS Chief Karkare trying to fit a useless bullet proof vest. Think of armed with lathi Mumbai police personnel trying to stop the Skoda of the terrorist at Girgaum Chowpatty. Think of the army man getting down from the army truck with a 5 kg battery and equally heavy communication equipment. Think of the NSG commandos reaching Taj in the morning of 27th in BEST buses. What would have happened if another terrorist had laid siege on the tin bus of BEST and deflated its tyre?<br /><br />Most of our policemen bravely fought the cowards, but did they have a chance to succeed? We are a brave country but we have let ourselves down by failing to look after those who are responsible for our security. We have seen any number of talk shows on our TVs about how spectacularly the government has failed. We have lampooned our politicians. But after all this, what?<br /><br />I propose that the Government of India immediately set up a Civil Defence fund of India where all of us can contribute according to our capacity. Let this fund be created under an act of Parliament with water tight regulations to ensure that the Achutanandans of this country cannot fiddle with this fund for their own agenda. Further, utilization of this fund can be linked to the police reforms which have been resisted by our ruling classes for the last several decades making policing a hand maiden of their nefarious designs.<br /><br />The contribution to the fund can be made exempt from income tax. Its management can be done by a highly empowered and autonomous board consisting of eminent men and women who will oversee its utilization. The utilization should be restricted to policing infrastructure of the country: central para military forces such as NSG, CRPF, CISF, RPF, BSF and so on and the state police. A broad outline is given below:<br /><br /><strong>Expensewise Percentage</strong><br />Equipment for below: 60%<br />Firearms – Small and Large<br />Transportation: Armored vehicles, Boats, Helicopters, aircrafts<br />Surveillance-Radars, Sonars, unmanned aircraft<br />Safety Equipment -Bullet proof vests<br />Intelligence gathering Equipments<br />Training: 20%<br />For welfare of police martyr families: 5%<br />Exceptional bravery awards: 3%<br />Discretion of the board (for other items related to related to policing): 12%<br />Exclusions: Luxury transportation such as expensive cars for senior officers, luxury aircraft.<br /><br /><strong>Supervisory Board</strong><br />Leaders and Percentage<br />Eminent industrialists, business leaders from the private industry: 30%<br />Security Specialists viz. Retired IPS, Retired Armed Force Officers, Retired Intelligence Officers: 30%<br />Specialist in strategic affairs: 20%<br />Politicians: Union Home Minister and A person appointed by Leader of opposition in the Parliament (Shadow home minister): 2 in number<br />Other eminent persons like scientists, academics and the like: Remaining percentage<br />Exclusions: All serving officers of the government, Retired civil officers like IAS, revenue service etc (Police Service and Intelligence service being the only exception)<br /><br />This has been done in the past. Our IITs and IIMs are a result of such farsighted legislation which the Arjun Singhs of this world have not been able to destroy in spite of their best efforts. Hence I am confident this can be done. Let us put pressure on the central government to enact such legislation in the coming session of the parliament itself. Once this is passed, let us contribute whole heartedly to this fund to make it a grand success.<br />When the terrorist strikes again, let this be a battle by well armed men. Let not another constable be seen firing from a first world war vintage .303 to combat the next cowardly terrorist. A few of us will recall the fearlessness in the eyes of the young CRPF constables who defeated the nefarious designs of the terrorists during the parliament attack. Well armed and well trained, our brave men can show how the terrorists can be tamed.TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-52837211449151030192008-10-01T18:32:00.003+05:302008-10-01T19:00:48.668+05:30Dr Chandrakant Patil's supreme sacrifice for flood victimsDr Chandrakant Patil was a young medical student at KEM college at Mumbai. He travelled all the way from Mumbai to the Kosi region of Bihar to serve the flood ravaged people. While serving the suffering humanity, he was struck by lightning and lost his life. Dr Patil comes from a rather humble background. His father is a mill worker and his mother is a house wife. His younger sister is a student. His family had great hopes from him as he was effectively the sole bread winner for them. <a href="http://www.patnadaily.com/news2008/sept/092208/doctor_killed_by_lightening.html">http://www.patnadaily.com/news2008/sept/092208/doctor_killed_by_lightening.html</a><br />His supreme sacrifice is especially laudable since it has come at a time of increased regional chauvinism. It is like a balm to the divisiveness that we see all around us. We have been justifiably vocal in voicing our protest against the cancer of regional chauvinism. Now let us come forward to the aid of the family of a person who gave his life rising above such narrow sectarianism. It is through such gestures that we can combat the poison of divisiveness.We earnestly appeal to all of you to contribute generously. Guneshwar Anand (a guy known to me) has volunteered to collect the money on our behalf. You may send your contribution to the bank account of<br /><strong>Guneshwar Anand A/C No. 016501513442 ICICI Bank</strong>.<br />He will personally visit his family to hand over the money. Full details of this campaign can be seen at the blog<br /><a href="http://drchandrakantpatil.blogspot.com/">http://drchandrakantpatil.blogspot.com/</a>TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-1444894786047864702008-06-24T00:44:00.000+05:302008-06-24T00:44:34.208+05:30Cool Bihari: Bihari Talents shine again<a href="http://coolbihari.blogspot.com/2008/06/bihari-talents-shine-again.html">Cool Bihari: Bihari Talents shine again</a>Ajit Chouhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15086521895202280734noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-37583195308393973362008-04-12T01:41:00.000+05:302008-04-12T01:42:38.773+05:30Maharashtra not among top five destinations for Bihari migrants<p class="MsoNormal">According to a recent survey by <st1:city st="on">ODI</st1:City>, <st1:country-region st="on">UK</st1:country-region>, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Delhi</st1:place></st1:City> is the top destination for the migrants for Biharis. In spite of having the financial capital of <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region>, Mumbai, in its midst, Biharis do not find <st1:place st="on">Maharashtra</st1:place> even among the top five destinations for migration. Punjab, <st1:place st="on">West Bengal</st1:place>, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are the other destinations preferred by the <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Jobs/Bihars_highest_migrant_earnings_come_from_Delhi/articleshow/2943843.cms">Biharis</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What is noteworthy is that this survey pertains to 2005-06 and hence a period which precedes the recent anti Bihari tirade. Another study by TISS and IPSS had estimated the migrants from Bihar to <st1:place st="on">Maharashtra</st1:place> to a puny 2.3% and <a href="http://www.tiss.edu/news162.pdf">3.5%</a> of the new migrants to Mumbai respectively.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">All this makes one wonder what is all this fuss about Biharis swamping Mumbai and changing its culture. Are these just political gimmicks?</p>TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-65772232477590604682008-03-22T11:27:00.002+05:302008-03-22T12:53:20.584+05:30Rajdeep and Goa- lessons in media managementHave a look at the blog of the great moralist Rajdeep Sardesai.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/50559/goan-with-the-wind.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs<wbr>/rajdeepsardesai/1/50559/goan<wbr>-with-the-wind.html</a><br /><br />The same Rajdeep Sardesai who does not hesitate to use terms like <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/33/maharashtra-the-new-bihar.html">Biharisation</a> to describe crime of any hue is disturbed that Goa's image is getting sullied due to Keeling murder.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/50559/goan-with-the-wind.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"></a>It is a case of crime, of murder. If I am not mistaken, the primary duty of the state is to maintain law and order and prevent of crime. In Goa, most politicians, whether the CM or other ministers, have taken turn to publicly blame the parenting, family value and god knows what else for the crime. I have not heard even an opposition leader to point to the failure of the state to act in time. No one of any stature from the state government thought it fit to explain why the investigation was shoddy and why the accused was not arrested until the mother of the murdered made such a noise about the affair.<br /><br />The great moralist Rajdeep does not see anything wrong in it. He is more worried about the image of his beloved state. I can only compare the news with the way the likes of Rajdeep react when a much smaller incident takes place in Bihar which they roundly condemn. Take the case of the minister of rural development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. Reader's will recall his family was accused of employing children for ploughing the field with pictures showing what was clearly giving 'henga' or 'chowki' Or the case of Anant Singh, MLA, wrongly accused of murdering a muslim girl which DNA tests proved was totally false. Or the thrashing of the motorcycle thief which was relayed ad infinitum on TV.<br /><br />What are these if not instances of double standard - of morality being made into a hand maiden of convenience?<br /><br />As a Bihari, it is perhaps best to take this as a lesson in image management. It is also an opportunity to analyse how Bihar's image has been tarnished by the media to suit their end of selling their channels and earning their ad revenue.TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-34949840117474461332008-03-10T23:49:00.002+05:302008-03-10T23:53:11.346+05:30Focus on the migrant issue of BiharNitin Chandra, a young film maker who is a native of Patna, is making a documentary on the on migration issue facing Bihar - agitation in Maharashtra as well as the lynching of Biharis by ULFA thugs in Assam. This is the link to the promo of the film<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGV-2xmiD0k">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGV-2xmiD0k</a><br /><br />An article on the issue was written by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar himself in the Indian Express<br /><br /><a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/282073.html">http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/282073.html<br /></a><br />I thought very thoughtful and balanced thinking in an atmosphere supercharged by histrionicsTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-17170656787063515932008-03-10T12:14:00.000+05:302008-03-10T12:17:05.317+05:30Management Institute at Patna - A dream becomes realityFriends<br />A committed low profile state govt in India has been quietly working at improving the lot its people. The law and order is better, the roads are better and the primary health centers now have doctors and medicines which the people now find worth visiting. Last year's war with the floods (UN called it the worst in living memory) has been fought pretty well. Basic things like classes and examinations being held on time have been achieved.The state now moves to improve the educational infrastructure to the next level.<br />As part of this initiative, a management institute will start working at Patna this summer. Supported by the state govt, financially and much more crucially, with an emotional bonding now rarely seen between politicians and the people, it has behind it a vast body of experienced professionals, from Bihar and other places. Apart from teaching post graduate students, it will also have a research center for appropriate technology focussed on powerful ideas that can change the lives of the people.<br />The management institute, named Chandragupt Institute of Management, Patna (CIMP) has a constitution that will make it highly autonomous so that professionals running it can take it to the envisaged heights of excellence much like the Patna Science College and Netarhat Vidyalaya of yore. All the learnings of the past have been put into it to make it stoutly autonomous.The first director would be Prof V Mukundas, formerly of IIM A. A number of other faculty members, both serving and retired, as well as professionals from the industry, are working for it. The syllabus is largely drawn from those of IIMs and XLRI. The admission would be through combined admission test (CAT) of the IIMs.<br />Please do visit its website<br /><a href="http://www.cimp.in/">www.cimp.in</a><br />Warm regards<br />Thakur Vikas SinhaTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-91771479604345737572008-02-13T21:53:00.002+05:302008-02-13T21:57:17.746+05:30Attack On BiharAfter recent attacks on biharis, uttarpradesh and north indians by goodns of Raj Thakrey there has been a sense of discomfort across India. Some of us are very upset and some want to revenge while most have offered to display Gandhigir. In this context our take is that we need not be aggressive but yes we must defend our brothers/sisters by all means. I would say that we should be "assertive". We should not be hesitant to celebrate our festivals like "chath" at all. At the same time we should make all efforts to mix up / assimilate local culture and festivals as well. Guess most progressive people and we biharis do as well,<br /> <br />As far as, Raj Thakrey and goons are concerned, they are best ignored and "defended against". This whole series of incidents against biharis is giving rise to emergence of bihari subnationalism. Which is much needed. However do not expect most of the well educated and well placed Biharis to speak-up or stand-up and be counted.<br /> <br />Most of them will just prefer to watch silently over TV or read newspapers and analyse for few weeks and then move on to their routine life. Some of the political kind will try to get some mileage out of it (this side or that side but their end goal is to benefit) . Those whose bread and butter is affected or those whose life and honor is being threatened will either react in self-defence or migrate to safer places. However some, especially the young students will see this as a wake-up call and they will react by their heart. We need to make sure that the reaction is on right track. We don't resort to the level of "goondas" on road. We must prepare to defend and support our people and at the same time, wake-up to the reality that there is no place like home. We must try to give our best to our current place (Maharashtra or Delhi or US) but at the same time should also retain our connections with the homeland and continue to give back to our parent society(bihar, jharkhand or india). <br /> <br /> For almost 2 months i have been hopping from city to city (Patna, Munger, Rajgir, Nalanda, Tilaiya, Hazaribagh, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Delhi). If the socio-economic-political trends as observed by a non-expert are to go by then we are already on the path of socio-economic renaissiance. The dark days are over. Bihar is going through a churn and transformation that will really shake up the world. In the few weeks that I was in Patna, there were some or other othe trade-expo, seminar, socio-economic event going on. Patna's calendar was very busy and so was rest of bihar. National/International level sports events and positive events going on. <br /> <br />We truly are living in very very interesting times and the outlook is very positive. These attacks on Biharis are sad but hopefully yet another incident reflecting the "awakening" of bihari subnationalism. As long as we were willing to build the roads, work as maids and servants or IT/Management Coolies then the local "netas" were okay with us. However as soon as we started displaying some solidarity and display of our cultural heritage then the world has problems. Very soon the IT and Management "coolies" amongst us will also start showing their Bihari Identity without any disrespect for the local identity, the world will start respecting us. The display of strength of IMA (Indian Medical Association) was one good example. Many more such "skirmishes" will take place but in the end, we will emerge stronger. <br /> <br />Bihar is the most promising market for talent, mobile, pharma, tourism, agribusiness, innovation and many other industries. Smart money of Sunil Mittal, Ambani, Tata, Mahindra and others are already benefiting from the "market". Bihar-jharkhand is world's fastest growing mobile market, but soon they will start jumping in many other sectors as well<br /> <br /> <br />To sum it up,<br />a) Let us remain assertive and not be aggressive. Losers like Thakrey will lose steam soon.<br />b) Let us see the big picture and remain focussed on rebuilding Bihar2.0 and giving our best to India and world<br />c) Bihar is an opportunity for the smart brains to see and insecure societies/people to feel threatened<br />d) Let us remain connected to our roots<br />e) In whichever society we go we need to have strong local networks so that we remain safeKAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14068881892183139574noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-46429508376447302562007-11-09T18:58:00.000+05:302007-11-09T18:59:08.290+05:30Scientific Foresight 2007<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><b>Happy Deepawali and Chath to all of us</b><br /><br />We are in the middle of finalizing sponsors,speakers for </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;" href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=6759691721" target="_blank"><b>Scientific Foresight 2007</b></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> . This event that will be used to showcase to the world that Bihar is not just India's Spiritual Capital. We are not just the heart, mind & soul of India etc. That we are not just the UMBILICAL CHORD of HUMAN CIVILIZATION as well from where ZERO, Yoga, Kamasutra were born as well. We are poised to reclaim our space as the fountainhead of World's Science & Technology as well (thanks Mayank for Umbilical Chord metaphor) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">This event on the south of River "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges" target="_blank"> Ganga</a>" from Dec22-Dec24 in ancient India's Capital (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patliputra" target="_blank">Patliputra</a>) will have an Audience of 3000+ bright students, 200+ Professors and professionals Globally. It is happening in that much forgotten city of India where the next eBay or Skype or Google or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or Cisco or <a href="http://salesforce.com/" target="_blank">Salesforce.com</a> or Collectivex </span><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">WILL</b><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> emerge within few years. Hate to say after the fact afte the event , "I told you so" .. so come join now or lose out on this opportunity. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Yes, you can also also celebrate X'mas after the event. However advisable to attend this event if you wanna be better informed about "creation", "life", "evolution" or more mundane things like future of "Nanotech","Biotech","Artificia<wbr>l Intelligence","Neural Networks","Open Source","Robotics","Genomics" etc etc<br /><br /><b>Also great opportunity to network,recruit,market and then celebrate Christmas after the event</b></span><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><br /></b><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> If any of you want to be part of the organizing team then can join our </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;" href="http://scifore.collectivex.com/" target="_blank">SciFore 07 Intranet</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> . We will also try to arrange a trip to world heritage sites like Patna Sahib, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda. </span><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Critics, Ideas, Comments, Suggestion, Proposal to help welcome </b><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">. We can design something around your specific needs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Best way to reach us would be via mail or </span>skype<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> or </span>gtalk<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> ( </span>atultech<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> ) or people marked in 'cc'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Don't wait. </span><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Act NOW</b><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> or you will miss the event of the year as we plan to close International sponsorships, speaker slots etc within </span><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> 2 weeks. </b><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">After we will only try to focus on domestic participants and then only local participants who will get a very very special discounted rate. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">We are also looking to partner with philanthropic trusts who want to leverage this occasion to spread their cause. </span><br /><br /><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Some attendees</b><br />APJ<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> </span>Kalam<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> might be chief guest</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Liz Ryan from Business Week is coming </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Marc </span>Benioff<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> of </span>Salesforce<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> </span><br />Mehmood<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Khan, Global Leader of Innovation for Unilever<br />Ron Somers of US India Business Council<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">We are trying to avoid politicians/</span>filmstars<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> since some of them distract a lot. However we are open to extending invitation to select names as "audience" if they promise not to come on stage or not use the mike except asking questions </span><br /><br /><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">International Media Coverage likely so far<br /></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Business Week, </span>WSJ<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">,Economist,FT.com</span><br />EBC<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Radio, BBC </span> <b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><br /></b><br /><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Likely Corporate Sponsors or Participants</b><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Google, GE,Genpact, </span>DRL<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">, Bristol Meyers, </span>Ranbaxy<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">, </span> Alchem<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">, Hutch, </span>Tata<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">, Jet, Kingfisher,Air India, </span>SBI<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> We haven't approached </span>Cisco<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">, Microsoft ,TCS, Infosys etc yet</span><br /><br /><br /><b>Mehmood, Liz, Ron, Marc</b>: forgive my taking your names without seeking formal permission<br /><b>President Kalam : </b>You are still the president of our hearts so have to accept this challenge of "inspiring 3000 young students"<br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Cheers</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Atul Kumar</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Sponsorship,Media & PR</span><br /><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Scientific Foresight</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">+1 203 987 4452 <b>USA</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> +44 20 8144 5289 <b>UK</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Tri-state(NY/NJ,CT), USA</span><br /><a href="http://atultech.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">http://atultech.blogspot.com</span></a><br /><b>Can Do, Will Do, Right Here Right NOW !</b></span></p>KAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14068881892183139574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-46223952213822969782007-11-01T23:22:00.000+05:302007-11-01T23:28:56.063+05:30The glue of cultureCulture is such a powerful and beautiful thing - it binds where there is nothing else to bind. How else can you explain the closeness one feels when one goes to an island in Africa from Bihar and feels that one has come home. Neither is the terrain similar, nor are the people related to you or are your old friends. Yet they feel like your own, someone calls you beta and your spouse beti - they open their home to you as if you are their long lost brother.<br /><br />I am really thankful to Santosh for having shared the beautiful vacation at Mauritius where indentured labourers were taken from Bihar more than a hundred years ago. Amazing how they have preserved their culture and how they give you a welcome.<br /><br />I thoroughly enjoyed reading this <a href="http://bihartoday.blogspot.com/2007/10/my-mauritius-trip-and-my-impression-our.html">blogpost</a>.TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-21537965122718514012007-10-25T22:13:00.001+05:302007-10-25T22:13:31.584+05:30Personal ManifestoThis is a personal manifesto have prepared to share with friends, well wishers and skeptics. Will appreciate comments, errors and sources which need to be referred<br/><br/><a href='http://www.scribd.com/doc/425755/Personal-Manifesto'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/politics/Personal_Manifesto'>digg story</a>KAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14068881892183139574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-54017082048672829002007-10-21T01:49:00.001+05:302007-10-21T01:49:39.306+05:30Scientific Foresight at SK Memorial, Gandi Maidan, PatnaThis TECH FEST is aimed to provide an opportunity to explore the hidden aptitude of the budding engineers & scientists. Participating students will be able to develop their interests and awareness about the contemporary industrial and research trends in science and technology. They will be able to make them up to date their technical knowhow<br/><br/><a href='http://www.scribd.com/doc/409621?secret_password=40wesh77yni6s'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/general_sciences/Scientific_Foresight_at_SK_Memorial_Gandi_Maidan_Patna'>digg story</a>KAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14068881892183139574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-17178323529935883492007-10-20T22:43:00.001+05:302007-10-20T22:43:03.626+05:30Ad for Student Volunteer for Mission PossibleSome mavericks at work are trying to execute some very very ambitious projects but plan on using Open Source 2.0 / Wikinomics 2.0 model of setting up a non-profit or profit org at lightspeed with no overheads. If you wanna join please ping us or refer to friends ...Projects areBihar Society (WIP)IIM Society (WIP)India Society (long term)<br/><br/><a href='http://www.scribd.com/doc/406468/Ad-for-Student-Volunteers'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Ad_for_Student_Volunteer_for_Mission_Possible'>digg story</a>KAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14068881892183139574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-16147117988635101392007-10-20T22:19:00.001+05:302007-10-20T22:19:20.019+05:30Letter to Members of Parliament in IndiaBihar has got a very very "unfair" share from Govt of India in terms of investment for infrastructure, both hard & soft.Hard Infrastructure like : Energy, Water, RoadsSoft Infrastructure like : Education, Museums. Archeology, Art, Schools, Higher Educationtime to correct it and need to correct it very very fast if the raw energy locked in Bihar is to be tapped and unleased. Till we do that some of the anger will keep getting expressed in not so pleasant or productive ways<br/><br/><a href='http://www.scribd.com/doc/409572/Letter-to-MPs-Member-of-Parliaments'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/world_news/Letter_to_Members_of_Parliament_in_India'>digg story</a>KAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14068881892183139574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-8556955065277699412007-10-07T22:03:00.000+05:302007-10-19T21:01:44.306+05:30No offence meantIt is a tradition of some "intellectuals" Indians to make the most offensive comment, but add a wry ' no offence meant' and they expect to be absolved of any responsibility of hurting you. To me, it is worse than just making the offensive comment. The guy is aware of the offence his comment would cause, and yet chooses to make it. Latest in this tradition of obnoxious behaviour is this article in <a href="http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2007/10/03/churumuri-poll-karnataka-the-bihar-of-the-south/#comment-58459">Churimuri</a>, a so called forum of Kannadiga intellectuals.<br /><br />Karnataka is going through nasty political turmoil. The only guy to hold the position of PM from that state has shown his lack of character by not honoring the public commitment of handing over power to the BJP. Any self respecting community would feel ashamed by it. But what do they do? Drag Bihar into it.<br /><br />Bereft of self confidence, these are basically bullies who have to pull down something to hide their own inadequacies.<br /><br />It is not the first time that people from Karnataka have shown their abhorrent attitude towards Bihar. MV Kamath, a journalist from there, had written an essay in The Illustrated Weekly of India saying Biharis are not fit to rule Bihar. He had thereby shown his anti democratic and racist character, besides showing his deep antipathy to Bihar. It is to the perpetual discredit of Karnataka people that this abominable character is hailed as a great intellectual of that land.<br /><br />PS Appu, an IAS officer from Karnataka was the director of LBS academy at Mussorie when he chose to cut short the career of a young probationer from Bihar on allegations of misbehaviour. When the Deptt of Personnel insisted on an inquiry before initiating action, Appu publicly threatened to resign saying this is interference in his work. Newspapers of the day had a field day alleging Biharis are weak in character and hailing Appu as a shining example of integrity. The probationer was sacked summarily without any inquiry. Later, Supreme Court struck down the ruling of Appu and reinstated him into his job.<br /><br />To the best of my knowledge, Appu never apologised for his hasty decision. Neither the newspapers ever apologised for their biased reporting or even gave prominence to the reinstatement news. Public perception continues to be of a wayward probationer from Bihar rather than the anti Bihari bias of an arrogant bureaucrat.<br /><br />Last year, when Pratham did a survey of school kids in the various states of India, it was found that Bihar was way ahead of other states. Karnataka was one of the laggards. "Intellectuals" of Churimuri commented as if it is the divine right of the <a href="http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/take-this-karnataka-is-worse-than-bihar/">Karnataka kids to do better than Bihar</a>. I had requested them to refrain from such thinking. It appears my words have fallen on deaf ears. These racists are bent on using Bihar to manage their inferiority.<br /><br />What a shame that I have to share my nationality with these obnoxious characters.TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-17740569714333399822007-09-30T09:12:00.000+05:302007-09-30T09:14:29.581+05:30Typical Elite Delhi Kid's view on BiharWe often hear of many Indias within India. It is mainly used to differentiate between the rich India and the poor India. Sometimes, we also hear of the divide of the Vindhyas - the north and the south. That a chasm exists within North India itself is seldom visible to an outsider. But exist it does. Actually, it exists to a level that its ferocity would take anyone off guard.I<br /><br /><a href="http://raawanism.blogspot.com/2007/09/dear-raawan-uncle_27.html">In this blog</a>, the kid wishes to exhibit his sense of humour. And what does he do? He repudiates Bihar as nobody's business. It should come to nobody as a surprise if it is fouund that he has probably never set his foot in Bihar. He must have met a few labourers from Bihar, for Delhi cant move without the contribution of the hard working Bihari. He would probably have met a few Biharis who are toppers at DU / JNU / IIT or wherever this kid has studied from. But then in the society of these elites, Bihar has to perform a function, namely, to satisfy their sense of superiority by perpetually being worse than his society, and believe me, a place can only be worse than hell if it has to be worse than their society.So those toppers or for that matter any other Bihari who exhibits any agreeable trait does not register as a Bihari. Abominably, these chaps do not even hesistate to say on the face of a Bihari that he does not seem to be a Bihari if they wish to honour him. And they mean it as a compliment, not sarcasm!!!What does one say of this culture? What is the future going to hold for a Bihari kid in days to come if such arrogance is tolerated anymore?Indeed there is an all round lowering of standards, specially in Delhi of today. But Biharis have to survive, actually not just survive but flourish and thrive. So whatever be the depth to which the standard sinks, one will have to look after one's own interest in this big bad world.Has the time come for we Biharis to develop our own militant sub nationalism which gives these chaps back as hard as it gets?TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-4477024738305217372007-09-25T13:07:00.000+05:302007-09-25T13:20:08.121+05:30Emerrging from the shadowIt has been fashionable to blame Bihar for anything that goes wrong for the last two decades at least. Wherever the fault may be, the blame is always put on Bihar. When I first heard about a decade back that BHEL has been less than honest in its supplies to the Kanti thermal, near Muzaffarpur, I also had felt that some guy at Bihar SEB was trying to externalise the problem. However, when one of the engineers explained to me the details - how components rejected at other projects have been supplied, how there is no seriousness in the project plan, I could sense something amiss.<br /><br />Now comes the story of the ineptitude of BHEL and NTPC in Bihar. They have not been able to keep any of the commitment they made to Bihar Govt. For a change, one finds Bihar Govt doing a proper appraisal and <a href="http://www.livemint.com/2007/09/25005738/Bihar-threatens-to-scrap-pact.html">putting the blame where it is </a>rather than follow the tradition of blaming the hapless BSEB. In fact, the power minister of Bihar was so miffed that he wishes to discuss the option of scrapping the contract with BHEL and NTPC with the central power minister.<br /><br />Such confidence should do a lot of good to the governance in Bihar.TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-57096894040703473292007-09-12T16:21:00.000+05:302007-09-12T16:33:36.484+05:30Smart Brains, Smart Money and Bihar<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I was commenting on a blog by </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://nonresidentbihari.blogspot.com/">Ranjan Rituraj</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">, and couldn't resist pasting my comments here. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">As usual very good "local contextual" knowledge and understanding from Ranjan. He makes a good case for why NRB (Non Resident Biharis) need to start coming up with micro investment projects in Bihar and we need not wait for the large corporate houses. They will take time and don't have the agility and speed of individual micro-investments.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">My comments there:</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">And yes very good ideas. NRBs will have to come first and show some initiative. Just sending Money Order is not enough. Coming back with expertise,ideas,investments (micro is better than mega projects),networks etc are very important. Once Bihar reaches the "tipping point" then smart money will follow and that need not be Bihari. Even the big Private Equity, Venture Capital guys will come for sure. Industriats will also come. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Though smart money will take time since this lack of "contextual" and "local knowledge","local networks", "risk appetite" will be a hindrance</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">However smart brains will not wait that long. The APJ Kalam and likes will see the "historic opportunity" and surely "RUSH" to bihar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">What about you ?</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">YOU - I mean, you, who is reading this blog and comment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Are you smart enough ? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If yes then do you have the "local networks","knowledge" etc. then forget the Silicon Valey or Wall Street or India-China opportunity. Here is an opportunity of lifetime. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Go grab it my friend. Need advice or have concerns then talk to Ranjan. He might help. Else drop a word on this blog. Someone here can help. Else drop a visit to </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://gov.bih.nic.in/">Bihar Govt</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">. At site you might find good links. But take some action, don't click out and resume your web-surfing.<br /><br />ऐसा मौका जिन्दगी में बार बार नहीं आता है मेरे दोस्त ! अगर आप आईटी बूमं मिस कर गए और फिर ब्पो बूम भी और डॉट कॉम और फिर इन्दुस्त्रिअल बूम भी। गूर्गाओं और बैंगलोर और हैदराबाद बूम भी तब ये एक और मौका है<br /><br /><br /></span></span>KAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14068881892183139574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-80413401722274885472007-09-10T18:18:00.000+05:302007-09-10T19:07:46.662+05:30A very humane Chief MinisterPoliticians in India have come to acquire a rather nasty image. In such a scenario, images of the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar come out strikingly different.<br /><br />Soon after his coming to power, the Patna West MLA and a close friend of Nitish Kumar, Naveen Kumar Sinha passed away. The pictures taken at the time showed a tearful Nitish as he attended his creamation. Nitish lost his wife a couple of months back due to pneumonia complications. People saw a grieving CM captured weeping inconsolably on TV as he took her for her last rites. Just a couple of days back, there was the sudden death of the Bihar Education Secretary on whom Nitish was relying very heavily to bring in reforms in the education system. Picutres of Nitish were published with visibly moist eyes as he went to pay his last respects.<br /><br />Conditioned as we are by the culture of the modern Indian metros (and away from the rural culture of India), we may find such public display of emotion rather odd. The western culture even considers tears in the eyes of an adult male as a sign of wekaness. However, expression of such genuine human emotions can only come from a man deeply imbued in humanism. Only a person who is confident will not feel shy to show his emotions even under the glare of media. It feels great that even today, such a humanist is able to hold his own in rough and tumble of Indian politics. This certianly fills me with a lot of hope and optimism.TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-51721844862047154202007-09-09T19:57:00.000+05:302007-09-09T19:59:04.277+05:30Gauravshali Bihar e-book version<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUpBgnoP_Ofq68AQ_hKO7PONSZhVA2urF4pm-pqI3pxiqLxN76Zma-prvC57PfQnQ_ycGlA2A0yj0n0fBrDVVGACuiXCy1BiinRKp6kFh-03-6OxLupCB2npIuq2aU2YTN59w7kSVceOP/s1600-h/352048579_6a2bbc3839_m.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108208157050261362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUpBgnoP_Ofq68AQ_hKO7PONSZhVA2urF4pm-pqI3pxiqLxN76Zma-prvC57PfQnQ_ycGlA2A0yj0n0fBrDVVGACuiXCy1BiinRKp6kFh-03-6OxLupCB2npIuq2aU2YTN59w7kSVceOP/s400/352048579_6a2bbc3839_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Bihar is renowned for its great historical legacy and rich cultural heritage. This great land of Ashoka and Buddha has been the motherland of some great legends of human civilization. To recognize these great legends and pay a small tribute to our motherland we came out with a book titled “Gauravshali Bihar” last year .You can read about the <a href="http://coolbihari.blogspot.com/search/label/Gauravshali%20Bihar">launch of this book here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://1bihar.blogspot.com/">One Bihar team</a> has decided to make this book free for circulation and now the book is available for free circulation in the e-book version. Please <a href="http://biharigroup.googlepages.com/gauravshalibihar.pdf"><strong>click here to download</strong></a> the free to circulate version. Do pass it to your friends and colleagues who are interested in reading about the legends of this great land which is know as the soul of India.<br /><br />We will also be publishing the English version of this book shortly and it will be available for sale in the next few months. Thanks for reading and don't forget to give your valuable feedback and suggestion.<br /><br /><br /><p><a title="Cool Bihari !" href="http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/coolbihari/" target="_blank"><br /><img height="120" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting" src="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/ajitchouhan/Picture1.png" width="175" /></a></p></div>Ajit Chouhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15086521895202280734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000828080536701089.post-58468347000326645322007-08-28T22:48:00.000+05:302007-08-31T14:03:34.025+05:30Days of one sided Bihar coverge is overThis had to happen. I am so glad it has finally happened. The realization that there is more to the barrage of negative news emanating from Bihar than a desire to expose wrong doings. Or even a neutral desire to report the happenings. Such news, inevitably accompanied by commentary like "the most lawless state", "the state where civilization has ended", "where the state has withered away", are an attempt to sully our image. It is meant to take away our self confidence so that we dare not ask for what is rightfully ours.<br /><br />If a rape took place in Delhi, a snide link was created with Bihar. If there was a bomb blast in Mumbai, there were allusions to Bihar. The one that I found the most hilarious in this ever growing and long list was <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1092958">one linking Bihar to Katara and his human trafficking business</a>.<br /><br />We Biharis, having been brought up in a culture nurtured by nationalists like Dr Rajendra Prasad, Sri Krishna Singh, Anugrah Babu and JP, had a misplaced faith in the impartiality of national institutions like the national press, the national planning commission and so on. This misplaced faith was so deeply ingrained that we always justified their sins of commissions and omissions. When Indian Express exposed the Bhagalpur blindings, we genuinely felt that it is an attempt to improve the Bihari society, not to denigrate it. When MV Kamath wrote in the Illustrated Weekly of India that Biharis are not fit to rule Bihar, we somehow convinced ourselves that it is genuine criticism. When hare brained schemes like freight equalization scheme were introduced, we bore its brunt for the national cause. When NHAI drew up the alignment of the Golden Quadrilateral or the East West corridor through Bihar (and Jharkhand) bypassing our population centers, we never complained. When the Central Water Commission gave us its misplaced embankments for flood control, we did not find anything amiss. And the flood prone area of Bihar increased from 2.5 M hectares to 7 M hectares. And this went on for sixty years!!<br /><br />With increased exposure to the world, there is now a realization that there is no benign external agency that will look after our needs. WE have to fight our own battle. And this realization is now finding expression in various forms. Here are two samples. Mayank Rasu gives expression to his angst in <a href="http://www.hindu.com/op/2007/08/26/stories/2007082650011400.htm">Musings of a Bihari.</a> And Sunny writes a <a href="http://crimecapital.blogspot.com/2007/08/bihar-naam-hi-kaafi-hai.html">satirical piece</a> in a similar vein.<br /><br />People are even questioning the alacrity with which the media highlighted the Nathnagar case. What were TV cameramen doing in this remote town? How could they film the sad incident and telecast it immediately? Did they try to intervene or were they also part of the mob? These are questions being asked by Mr Indra Sharma.<br /><br />The new found confidence of Bihari has resulted in a sea change in attitude and he is not willing to take things lying down. He is in a mood to question Shivraj Patil why he is so slothful in giving security to the poor Bihari in Assam. He wants to know from Chidambaram what happened to his solemn promise in the parliament that Bihar would be given a special financial package? He wishes to question Saifuddin Soz what is Central Water Commission doing to reduce the flood menace. And if they fail, Bihari is in a mood to take them to task and ensure that his genuine interests are not compromised.TVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08128692949550094201noreply@blogger.com0