In the Hindi heartland, where north India meets east India, the democracy that is India is facing one of its most intriguing challenges, as Bihar goes to the polls. Often perceived as representing the worst in Indian governance, the state is characterised by complex social stratification, economic backwardness, and the comatose condition of its public institutions. The fact that identity has emerged as the essential basis for political mobilisation in Bihar has further added to the complexity.
It is ironic that the structures of state would be on the verge of collapse in a region where attempts were made to institutionalise the territory's control and social life as early as the 6th century BC. While its remarkably deep history makes Bihar's present all the more tragic, it is to modern history that we need to turn to understand why the people of the state find themselves in the situation they do today.
Most of the rampant stereotypes about Bihar's underdevelopment are actually true. The state is marked by deep-rooted poverty, little opportunity for upward mobility, a dismal education system, and a sky-high crime rate; extortion in particular has emerged as a major industry. All this is coupled with an unresponsive and corrupt civil administration. For nearly a half-century, Bihar has been consistent in one respect: poor ranking on almost all major social and economic indices. Education remains, simply put, a dead loss. With the great schools and colleges of the past having lost all strength and credibility, anyone who can afford it sends their charges to Delhi, Calcutta or elsewhere, as long as it is outside of Bihar. With young Bihari men and women clearing the country's most prestigious entry-level civil service exams year after year, it is obvious that the problems of Bihar lie not with its people.
The rotten state of Bihar's roads provides a window into the state's abysmal physical infrastructure. The lack of productive employment pushes unorganised labour to the metropolises in western India, Delhi and Calcutta, while organised labour within the state is used as cannon-fodder by the various political parties. The professional class in Patna is skeletal, with the best and the brightest having evacuated. A heavily compromised bureaucracy and judiciary are used to uphold the status quo. Faced with such a wall of inadequacy in governmental institutions, the people have decided to tune out and live their lives as best they can – in the manner of their ancestors, who similarly did not expect help from the state.