So has Bihar changed in the last one year since the new govt, has come? This is a question being asked by everyone around .The answers are also obvious but the scars of yesterday years continue to raise few eyebrows and skepticism. I’m sure this is one debate which will see various assertions but to some extent one can sanguinely say that it’s not difficult answers this.

The other day Frank asked me for few inputs on changes that I have seen over the last one year in Bihar .A real simple question but I could not answer it in the same simple way he had asked. I suggested that the changes could be seen at two different levels: the tangibles and the intangibles, to which he said “are yaar tell me what changes a common man could see in Bihar”. Very true, it’s not important what I feel about Bihar but it's more important what a common man in Bihar feel's and experiences in his daily life. The tangible changes have already been expressed by the chief minister today in his interaction with press.

"There has been a paradigm shift in the attitude of investors, particularly those from outside, towards Bihar," he told PTI in an interview ahead of the first anniversary of his NDA government on November 24. The envoys of Japan and Britian and Vice-Foreign Minister of Singapore had evinced their countries' interest in investing in the Buddhist circuit in the state, he said .Top industrialists like Ratan Tata and Anand Mahindra were also keen to invest in the state. To meet the huge task of allotting land to investors, the Bihar Government has decided to enact a 'land policy' soon to decide the quantum of compensation to people whose land would be acquired.

The cabinet had already cleared investment proposals worth over Rs 12000 crores and the state Investment Promotion Board has done so for another Rs 10,000 crores. The cabinet had also cleared Rs 1,000 crores on road construction projects alone.

I’m sure if you have been reading this space you’ll have enough reasons to celebrate and hope for more tangible changes to come. But the most important and more critical change which seems to have changes the perception about Bihar is the intangibles. So gone are the days when the name Bihar would conjure the image of a land of darkness and crime. Today any Non Bihari will ask you different questions about the developments in Bihar, no more Bihar symbolizes the land of fodder eaters and criminal politicians. For a change Bihar’s chief minister was rated as the best in the country and the state also saw champions for it cause from people outside Bihar.


Gone are the days when a Bihari outside would be heckled by queries on antics of Lalu, infact today the brand lalu has also changed. So it’s not just Bihar but Biharis also are seen as a potent to recokn with everywhere you go. No more do we hear only about new scams and kidnappings, nor do we face barrage of media reports on crime in Bihar. So what are things which has brought about these sea changes, is it just the govt. and its machinery which has been able to bring about this change.

Undoubtedly the govt has to be credited for the initiatives which it has taken but more than that I feel the people and citizens of Bihar needs to be applauded ,who have contributed in changing the realties in Bihar. The kind of spirit and collective effort which Biharis have made in the last year is also worth appreciating. The great resilience and courage shown by them after being deprecated over the years is also remarkable. It’s also pertinent to see the great pride and passion with which every Bihari feels and associates with. A collective effort from all corners has seen this revival and although a lot needs to done, we must keep the momentum. We all realize that what we have achieved in the last one year was the biggest hurdle to cross; we are now proud for being a Bihar and what Bihar is today. We have hope, courage and conviction in striving for a better Bihar.