The end of the Laloo era in Bihar may take some time to sink in, but whether this is the beginning of the end, or just a momentary glitch in his glorious reign, needs to be seen. In 1947, an independent study conducted by a prominent research institute in the United Kingdom had remarked that Bihar is amongst the most developed and most advanced provinces amongst all of the British Empire, and with some autonomy, may even rival the mother lode herself. Flash forward to 2005 and you see a state that has progressed all right, just the direction of progress has been in reverse. The per capita income in Bihar is below Rs. 4000, amongst the lowest in the country, while more than 65% of the population is illiterate. Mind you, it isn’t as if the people enjoy living in such squalor. The very fact that you have so many Biharis crowding all the major metropolitan cities, working in any capacity available, is evidence that given a conducive atmosphere, the people can and will work hard even there. A major chuck of the Indian Administrative Services’ higher echelons are from Bihar, a testament to the sheer genius resident in its people, for it isn’t easy to crack the UPSC exams.
But when the political system is so corrupted that it is almost synonymous with corruption, I don’t feel any enterprise can survive solely on its merits. The countless movies depicting the absolute lawlessness in the state testify to the absolutely dismal protection that the State provides to its law-abiding citizens.
Of course, the specific contribution of Laloo is debatable. His regime started barely 15 years ago, while it can be reasonably established that the downfall started sometime around the mid-1970’s, around the time of the Emergency. With increased politicization of the education system, and an increasing propensity in the political class to accord more importance to sheer muscle power over principled stands, a society based on knowledge and awareness shrunk back into its shell, back into the Dark Ages. Maybe, Laloo with all his popularity could have made a difference. He ought to have used his rapport with the people to better their lives. That he did nothing of that sort and instead chose to treat the State as his personal fief is the tragic part of this tale. A man who could have been the knight in shining armour became the all-consuming dragon.
Now the NDA is presented with a massive mandate, a mandate one prays it doesn’t fritter away like Rajiv Gandhi did. A comatose state has, through this verdict, announced its intention to rejuvenate itself. Laloo himself said once, “Biharis don’t aspire to become kings. They assume the roles of king makers.” A king maker always remains so, a shadow behind the throne. His powers are limited, his mind restricted to ensuring his primacy. He is no one’s beloved, no one respects him, no one aspires to take his place. Whether the NDA wishes for Bihar to continue to assume this despised role is not known, but one thing’s for sure; the Bihari now aspires to be a king in his own right!
What however is clear is that this verdict is a sign of the changing times, a welcome sign, a sign that all is not lost, and that the people are maturing, that democracy hasn’t yet been smothered by the demons of corruption and casteism, that governance still matters, even at the cost of ‘secularism’. India has reason to rejoice. What must be seen is how long this optimism lasts.
But when the political system is so corrupted that it is almost synonymous with corruption, I don’t feel any enterprise can survive solely on its merits. The countless movies depicting the absolute lawlessness in the state testify to the absolutely dismal protection that the State provides to its law-abiding citizens.
Of course, the specific contribution of Laloo is debatable. His regime started barely 15 years ago, while it can be reasonably established that the downfall started sometime around the mid-1970’s, around the time of the Emergency. With increased politicization of the education system, and an increasing propensity in the political class to accord more importance to sheer muscle power over principled stands, a society based on knowledge and awareness shrunk back into its shell, back into the Dark Ages. Maybe, Laloo with all his popularity could have made a difference. He ought to have used his rapport with the people to better their lives. That he did nothing of that sort and instead chose to treat the State as his personal fief is the tragic part of this tale. A man who could have been the knight in shining armour became the all-consuming dragon.
Now the NDA is presented with a massive mandate, a mandate one prays it doesn’t fritter away like Rajiv Gandhi did. A comatose state has, through this verdict, announced its intention to rejuvenate itself. Laloo himself said once, “Biharis don’t aspire to become kings. They assume the roles of king makers.” A king maker always remains so, a shadow behind the throne. His powers are limited, his mind restricted to ensuring his primacy. He is no one’s beloved, no one respects him, no one aspires to take his place. Whether the NDA wishes for Bihar to continue to assume this despised role is not known, but one thing’s for sure; the Bihari now aspires to be a king in his own right!
What however is clear is that this verdict is a sign of the changing times, a welcome sign, a sign that all is not lost, and that the people are maturing, that democracy hasn’t yet been smothered by the demons of corruption and casteism, that governance still matters, even at the cost of ‘secularism’. India has reason to rejoice. What must be seen is how long this optimism lasts.
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