'Bihar needs at least 50 varsities'
B K Mishra
[ Sunday, May 14, 2006 02:17:54 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]


PATNA: Continued neglect of the institutions of higher education in Bihar
has not only led to large-scale migration of talented students but also
caused huge loss of revenue to the state exchequer.

Informed sources said while more than one lakh boys and girls are compelled
to leave their home state every year in pursuit of higher education, the
state suffers a loss of at least Rs 2,000 crore on this count.

Though the state boasts of having more than 250 constituent and 300
affiliated colleges, a few of these institutions attract the bright
students.

Lack of minimum basic infrastructure, dearth of competent teaching staff and
non-availability of choice courses at undergraduate and post-graduate levels
act as deterrents for most aspirants. Consequently, they prefer to move
outside.

The state government has of late initiated some steps for opening some more
technical institutions in view of the ever-increasing demand for technical
courses. But no sincere effort has been made so far to improve the
infrastructure of the existing colleges.

There are only 12 universities in the state, including Maulana Mazharul Haq
Arabic and Persian University (which virtually remains on paper even after
more than a decade of its inception), Rajendra Agricultural University and K
S D Sanskrit University.

Says PU economics department head N K Chaudhary, "As the universities are
overburdened with the task of administering 50 to 60 colleges besides
post-graduate departments, the colleges have failed to improve."

On the contrary, the number of students in different colleges, especially
those located in muffasil or suburban areas, has declined considerably in
recent years.

"Isn't it an irony that while the UK having a population of a little over
six crore has got more than 100 class I universities, Bihar with a
population of nine crore has got only 12?" asks PU professor of geology B K
Thakur.

Furthermore, with a population of less than 30 crore the USA has got 3,000
universities as against only 300 in India.

Academicians feel the universities should be smaller in size having less
number of colleges under their jurisdiction so that each college could be
managed properly.

Bihar should have at least 50 universities to cater to the needs of students
aspiring for higher education.

Block grants should be given to the colleges for improving their
infrastructure and immediate steps be taken to recruit sufficient number of
well-qualified teachers for different courses.

Only then the migration of talented students from the state could be
checked, they add.


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Mansoorpur1, Live!
Mayank Shekhar
Mumbai Mirror, May 12, 2006

How the overzealous babus killed the radio star

I had caught this unlikely celebrity, young, slightly built, anonymously
ordinary looking, on a television news channel about a month ago. Raghav Mahto,
in his early 20s (he doesn't know his exact age, he never went to school), was a
radio jockey, who owned, anchored and ran a popular FM station, by himself, from
a meagre electronic shop in a busy village square.

He would record songs off cassettes from his store, he told me later, and play
them until 10 at night. Many walking past his store would request for Bhojpuri
numbers that Raghav says he wouldn't entertain for the lewd nature of their
lyrics. Between songs, he would broadcast various public-service announcements
on the local hospital's immunisation camps, information on missing children, and
sundry advertisements.

He was the sole source of entertainment for a countryside that hasn't walked a
well-tarred road; sees electricity for an hour or two, once a week; hasn't felt
a wind of change for too long to care. Mansoorpur, a hamlet off Vaishali in
central Bihar, Raghav estimates, has a population of 5000, mostly farmers. "What
do they do? They listen to radio. It doesn't interrupt their work." As Raghav
described his listenership to me, I could almost imagine semi-clad, tanned
bodies harvesting crops in the sunny fields, washerwomen thrashing clothes on a
concrete rack, with Mansoorpur1, the local FM playing in the background,
breaking off with devotional music in the morning, and folk songs through the
day.

Raghav had set up the business with Rs 50. He had thought up the idea while an
apprentice operating cordless mikes for a wedding organiser, a very profitable
industry in this starved region. He put in about Rs 200-400 a month on batteries
and generators. He made a little money from his shows, but more importantly he
made friends, and fans.

This is a strangely unusual story out of Bihar, where guns, pall of economic
gloom and gory politics is more the norm. Nothing could shock you about India's
dark sub-nation, but an unlikely tale of adventurous or rare innovative
entrepreneurialism such as Raghav's.

If only his story hadn't spread. Raghav successfully ran the popular FM station
for three years. "Each January, I would raise my reach by two to three
kilometers; we didn't know any better," he says. The moment the authorities in
far-off New Delhi learnt of Mansoorpur1 through a news report, they were there,
right by his side, to tune off his cheap machine. The radio channel was illegal.
The law probably dates to the pre-1950 World War years when a radio broadcast
was the only way to propagate propaganda. The state needed to strongly impose
and monitor the ban, to check anti-national voices.

The alacrity with which an officer each from Gorakhpur and Delhi acted upon
Raghav's case seems remarkable. The same well-preserved zeal had never been
employed to better lives of the RJ's listeners or beyond, who have survived,
despite a deaf government, without security or employment opportunities.

I had been trying to get in touch with Raghav for a while. When we finally
spoke, he had lost his father. He is now the only bread-winner of a family of
three younger brothers. His two sisters are married, and the third has passed
away. The responsibility of marrying off the little niece is now his.

I asked Raghav if he knew there were 338 FM stations to be launched across
cities, and that radio was now big business in India. Or that kids at
universities abroad ran radio channels similar to his. He muttered ignorance
inaudibly over the phone.

I asked him if he needed any money, or if he wanted to leave his village.
"Kunikaji had given me Rs 15,000," he said. The actress had visited Raghav
recently. She was the one who had helped me with his contact details. The
entrepreneurial Raghav didn't seem interested in charity, or moving out, "I have
never travelled beyond 50 kms of Mansoorpur, where will I go?"

"Paper nahi tha, isi liye bandh ho gaya station," he says of why his radio
station was shut down. "Ab sab keh rahe ki shuru karwa denge (People tell me
they will get the station started soon). I am waiting." Nobody has heard
Raghav's or his helpless, harmless audiences' plea yet.


---------------------------------
Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls.  Great rates
starting at 1¢/min.

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A comprehensive article about the broader Mithila cultural zone which
comprises regions in India and Nepal.
Vagish



Cultural flows across a blurred boundary
      
http://madheshee.blogspot.com/2006/04/cultural-flows-across-blurred-boundary.htm\
l

BY- CK LAL

   South Asia�s blurred cultural boundaries are being given sharp edges with
frontiers full of patrolling soldiers, the raising of border security forces,
and even barbed barricades and floodlights. As time passes, the cultural rivers
on the two sides find their own separate courses and the divergence begins.
Fortunately, there is one frontier of South Asia that has not yet succumbed to
this need to irreparably separate, demarcate, define. The thousand-kilometer
open frontier between Nepal and India is often decried in both countries as an
abomination, for it is said to undercut Nepali sovereignty on the one hand and
India�s economic and political security on the other. However, this very lack of
rigidity of the Nepal-India boundary is what makes it most natural and
historically evolved. It reflects and nurtures the cultural sameness across the
frontier, and could be a harbinger of the kind of frontier one would hope to
see, for example, between India-Pakistan and
  India-Bangladesh. The story hidden under the topsoil of the Ganga plains is
that two countries can have an unbolted border, a peopled frontier where
communities are neighboring and friendly as they were meant to be in this part
of the world. The border between the Nepal Tarai and Bihar/Uttar Pradesh provide
the prototype for the other land frontiers of South Asia.
   For being one of the most densely populated regions of the world, the
rectangle which encompasses the northern bank of the Ganga all the way north to
the Churay (Shiwalik) hills is the most neglected corner of South Asia. It is a
region derided by the New Delhi intelligentsia as an unfathomable basket case
and distrusted by Kathmandu�s elites as a region that would challenge their
national sovereignty. The illustrious history and the current sociology of the
Ganga Rectangle is thought to count for nothing, and all South Asia loses as a
result.
   In this essay, a Kathmandu-based columnist who hails from Janakpur in Mithila,
emphasises the links between the Nepal Tarai and the rest of the Ganga plains,
and proposes that the Nepal Tarai has the cultural dynamism to lead the entire
Ganga Rectangle out of its present cul-de-sac.The very name �Nepal� evokes the
image of a country set amidst the majestic Himalayan peaks, where exotic valleys
still harbour the serenity of the lost Shangri-La. Sold to the world by Western
explorers and latter-day adventurers and travel writers, this portrayal of
mountain exotica hides the fact that a considerable part of what constitutes the
territory of Nepal is actually as flat as a table-top. This is the Nepal Tarai,
a 15-20 km wide strip of plain that runs along the south of Nepal.
   Despite its cultural, social and economic signi- ficance, however, the tarai
receives scant attention. For the Nepali hill elite that would like to mould the
country after its image, the tarai is a region to be exploited -- its resources
are useful but its people (not the newly migrated hill folk, but the indigenous
tribes and the Madhesi of the plains) are a liability. Meanwhile, as far as the
world is concerned, the tarai is merely an extension of the Ganga plain. Little
is written about the tarai, and even the celebrated People of Nepal by the
anthropologist Dor Bahadur Bista is perfunctory about the region, preferring to
focus on the mountains that till now have given Nepal its identity.
   The demographic and economic trends, however, indicate that the tarai will no
longer be the neglected front door of Nepal. With an overwhelming � and
increasing � majority of the national population inhabiting the Nepali flatland,
and the industrial and agricultural productivity of the country relying on it,
the region cannot be ignored for long. This should draw the attention of the
Kathmandu intelligentsia to what the tarai means for the country�s future. This
ought also to be a matter of some interest to the intelligentsia and planners in
New Delhi, who could well be surprised by the Nepal Tarai�s capacity to serve as
an economic dynamo for the advancement of eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP) and
northern Bihar, both densely populated and politically unstable backwaters that
have been left behind by the Indian state and its modern economy.
   Indeed, the wilful neglect of the tarai by Kathmandu Valley is repeated south
of the border. In the grand tradition instituted by the British colonists, New
Delhi�s academics and bureaucrats are more or less united in characterising
Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh together as the basketcase of mal-governance and
economic deprivation. And for these neo-colonists of New  Delhi, Nepal�s tarai
does not exist as a separate region either � it is simply regarded as an
extension of the problematic Hindi belt. The blinkered view in both Kathmandu
and New Delhi which refuses to acknowledge the dyna- mism of the past and future
possibilities has permeated the intelligentsia of the cities of the region as
well � the larger ones like Benaras, Lucknow and Patna or the smaller centres
such as Gorakhpur, Muzzafarpur and Darbangha � to the extent that the region as
a whole refuses seek its own economic, cultural and political release.
   While the neglect of the region by the city-bred in Nepal and India is a
reality, the people-to-people contact across the international boundary continue
undiminished, unlike the boundary regions between India and Bangladesh and
Pakistan, where these relations, as vibrant till just a few decades back, are
beginning to dry up under the constant gaze of state supervision. The nature of
life across this blurred South Asian Nepal-India boundary must be better
understood, and the lessons of cultural flows across the tarai frontier need to
be considered for their replicability elsewhere in South Asia and the world.The
cultural legacy of MadhyadeshThe setting of the tarai is grand. Vision extends
to a horizon where one can see the blue sky bowing down to embrace the brown
earth. Standing amidst the great expanses of rice paddies are the tall and
somewhat ludicrous phallus-shaped boundary pillars between the two countries,
erected more than a century ago with brick and lime
  mortar. During the dry season, the ten yard stretch of no-man�s-land between
the two countries is difficult to locate in many places. In populated areas,
these strips are used to winnow grain, dry clothes or tether domestic animals in
daytime. On summer evenings, charpoy string-beds are laid out in this peaceable
frontier to catch the breeze. Indians and Nepali relatives and neighbours warm
themselves around open hearths during the winter. Elsewhere, this strip is a
common grazing ground, or serves as an open toilet for people whose citizenship
papers may just as easily say �Nepal� or �India�.
   The tarai begins where the stretch of Churay (Shiwalik) hills ends, and forms
one geographical continuum with the rest of plains stretching south to the
west-east flow of the Ganga. The ecological character of this region is
determined by the great and temperamental rivers that emerge from the deep
valleys of the Himalaya, carrying melted snow and monsoon discharge � the Kosi
past Biratnagar, the Gandak (called Narayani upstream) which joins the Ganga
right by Patna, and the Ghaghara (Karnali) in the west. Over geological time,
till the time they were bound within embankments in the last few decades, these
rivers deposited their bed-load on the flats, which is what makes this one of
the most fertile regions in the world. It is a food-bowl that supports one of
the most populous of habitats � one-twentieth of humanity live between the
Jamuna and Teesta, between the Churay and the Ganga, in the Ganga Rectangle.
   In sociological terms, this stretch of plains is the heartland of the
Subcontinent. Its swath of forests were cleared and habitation begun with
eastward migration of Indo-Aryan speaking people from the Indus basin. The
forests first fell in the Doab (the basin between the Jamuna and Ganga), and
over the centuries the march continued eastwards right across the North Ganga
Plain before culminating in present-day Assam, where the Brahmaputra joins in
from the north and east. Indigenous peoples of this region either got
assimilated into the emerging Indo-Aryan culture, or were forced further to the
north, east and south.
   Greek, Persian, Chinese, Buddhist and Hindu sources have left us colour- ful
and sometimes mythologised ac- counts of this region�s ancient past in
travelogues, narratives and stories. The point is not so much the exact veracity
of the accounts as much as the broad identification of the extent of territory
that partook of a common cultural heritage and process. The myths start with
Manu, the Hindu lawgiver, who refers to the plains between Indra- prastha in the
west, Magadh in the east, the Shiwalik in the north and the Vindhya in the south
as �Madhya-desh� � �the central country�. And central it has been to the rise
and fall of civilisations over the millennia. From the Alexandrine Greeks to the
medieval Mughals, from imperial England to the revisionists of Akhanda Bharat,
ideologues of every extreme hue have fought pitched battles on this great
expanse in the belief that whoever got hold of the heart could ultimately end up
controlling the body of India as well.
   This populated, presently poverty-stricken expanse of the Ganga plain is thus
one of the cradles of human civilisation, whose centrality is evident in both
myth and history. Accounts of the past in stories such as those of the
Mahabharat and Ramayan point to the existence of complex sedentary societies.
Hindu scriptures portray the great churning that society from Mithila in the
Kosi-Gandak basin to the Kirat people up in the high eastern mountains and the
Khas in between underwent during the period of Indo-Aryan advance. They also
indicate the shared cultural and ritual elements of this region. In the Valmiki
Ramayan, Prince Ram and his four brothers travelled from Ayodhya � somewhere in
present-day Uttar Pradesh (UP), but not necessarily where the town of Ayodhya
today stands � all the way to Mithila, and were selected as grooms by Sita and
her sisters in Janakpur.
   This nursery of Vedic Hinduism also gave rise to another world-historic
religion � Buddhism. Its founder, Prince Siddhartha Gautam, was born in Lumbini,
fast by the present-day border in the central Nepal Tarai, and he acquired
Buddha-hood in the wild lands further south. The credit for the spread of Lord
Buddha�s teachings beyond the Ganga region and into the Indus region of the
west, goes to the Shakyamuni�s most powerful devotee, the Mauryan Emperor Ashok.
Eventually, the struggle for supremacy between Hinduism and Buddhism was to take
place in these very plains. If the apogee of the Mauryan empire was also the
heyday of Subcontinental Buddhism, by the 4th century AD, under the patronage of
the Gupta empire, Hinduism, refurbished and given its final doctrinal form by
Shankaracharya�s monistic advaita vedanta philosophy, made a strong come back
after centuries of Buddhist dominance of these plains.
   The inter-flows of culture within the region are also evident in the localised
pantheons of Hinduism. The presiding deity of the Nepali House of Gorkhas was
Guru Gorakhnath, an ascetic said to have been based in present-day Gorakhapur.
True, the latter-day Shah and Rana rulers of Nepal hired hagiographers to trace
their ancestry to obscure Rajput families on the fringe of Thar desert in
Rajasthan in north-western India. One ruler even assumed the title �Bikram� from
the Parmars of Ujjain on the slopes of the Vindhyas. But there could well be
another side to the story. If the Shah family did not evolve from the Magar
clans of the middle-hills of Nepal, then it could well be argued that they are
descended from fleeing warrior castes from the region around Gorakhpur, escaping
the political changes sweeping the Ganga maidaan during the Mughal period in
Hindustan. This would explain why Gorakhnath is the presiding deity of the
Gorkha principality, from where King Prithvi
  Narayan Shah emerged in the mid-1700s to conquer and consolidate the kingdom 
of Nepal.
   Much before the Shahs, the Lichhavis from the plains as well as Karnats had
progressed northward when pressed by circumstances in the plains. There, they
mixed in with the culture of Kirats and Khasa, transformed them and themselves
were transformed in the process. Ruling classes of Karnataka origin who
established the once-prosperous principality of Simraungarh in what is now the
Nepal Tarai, the Karnats ascended to Kathmandu Valley to become celebrated
patrons of arts and craft as the Malla dynasty, which preceded the Shahs.
   The free flow of people, goods and ideas within the vast plains as well as
between the plains and the northern midhills continued over the centuries. The
strip of sub-tropical jungle (known as the Charkoshe Jhadi) at the foot of the
Churay hills did act as a barrier, but not enough to prevent the seepage of
culture and commerce. The Charkoshe Jhadi also became a safe haven for
aboriginals such as the Tharus, Kewats, Rautes and Santhals, pushed out as the
civilisation of the sedentary cultivators took root everywhere. Over the
centuries, these groups developed resistance to malaria, and established
themselves in the deep forests of the tarai.
   The divided plain
   While an evolutionary social-historical process was weaving a common cultural
fabric across the plain, more dramatic political processes have in the last few
centuries carved it up into administrative units. This political separation,
however, did not significantly erode the cultural unity. The genesis of the
contem- porary political divisions are to be found in the Mughal administrative
and revenue units of the North Ganga Plain. Within the Mughal empire, Awadh in
UP became a prominent political and cultural centre of the Ganga-Jamuna doab.
Bihar was incorporated into the province of Bengal at the point when the diwani
of Bengal was passing into the hands of the English East India Company in the
mid-18th century. Meanwhile the forested northern tracts of the plain remained
outside the pale of Mughal authority.
   This division was replicated and then reinforced when power passed from the
Mughal Empire to the East India Company and eventually to the British Empire.
Bihar remained within the Bengal presidency, while the United Provinces absorbed
that segment of the plain that was eventually to become eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Both of these areas however had one feature in common � they came within the
zamindari revenue system of the British, which was to provide the basis for
feudal and semi-feudal relations in agriculture, characterised by landlordism,
insecure tenancy and rentier arrangements that hindered yield-increasing
investments in land and obstructed the emergence of a reformist politics. This
set them on a different economic trajectory from that of, say, western Uttar
Pradesh, where a class of independent peasant proprietors was allowed to take
root. The different revenue collection systems were to have a lasting effect in
forging the agrarian relations of eastern UP and
  Bihar.
   The decline of Mughal power and the ascendancy of the British coincided with
the rise of the Gorkhalis in the northern hills of Nepal. In the inevitable
clash between the two the cannon prevailed over the khukuri and the plain, on
which the battle took place, was further subdivided. The partition of the plain
into three distinct units (Nepal Tarai, Bihar and eastern UP) was completed with
the demarcation of the southern boundary of modern Nepal as it exists today by
the Treaty of Segowlee (Sugauli) which was forced on the Kathmandu court by the
victorious British following the Anglo-Nepal war of 1814-1816.
   The political and social bifurcation of the northern and southern parts of the
plain was accentuated by the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 against the political rule of
the East India Company. This revolt of the Company�s troops, joined by local
chieftans, zamindars and disaffected elite, which reached its climax in the
Awadh region, was the event that cemented the relationship between the sahibs of
Company Bahadur and the Rana usurpers of Nepal. When the whole of the Ganga
plains had risen in revolt, Jang Bahadur Rana rode down from Kathmandu into
Lucknow at the head of a Gorkhali contingent and helped quell the mutiny. This
brought the Gorkhalis closer to the British but alienated the indigenous Indian
elites from the hill satraps.
   Zamindars and neo-zamindars
   However, despite the distribution of the north Ganga plain between three
different political and admin- istrative dispensations, each unit was, in
demographic and socio-economic profiles, practically a mirror image of the
other. The political process by which the agrarian structure of the Nepal tarai
emerged was very different from that of east UP or north Bihar, but the net
result was the same. For over a century, the Shah kings reigned while the Ranas
ruled Nepal. The cultivated tarai bordering British dominion provided most of
the revenue to the court of Kathmandu. This revenue was to increase several-fold
as the Charkoshe Jhadi emerged as a source of timber for the sleepers of the
rapidly expanding Indian Railways.
   The ruling class of Kathmandu wanted to populate the newly created clearings
in order to further increase revenue, but the hill people chose to push
eastwards toward Assam through the mid-hills instead of descending to the
malarial plains. The demand for settlers was met by the peasantry fleeing the
British oppression in Tirhut and Awadh, in today�s Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,
respectively. Pauperised people of eastern UP (formerly United Provinces, now
Uttar Pradesh) and Bihar crossed oceans in search of a better life and ended up
as girmitiya labour in the plantations of Fiji, Trinidad and Mauritius. But
quite a few simply walked across into Nepal�and straight into the exploitative
arms of tarai birtawals � the courtiers of Kathmandu who were given large
freehold parcels of recently-cleared forests for services rendered to the state.
This gave rise to the class of neo-zamindars in the tarai.
   Almost all land grantees in the tarai came from the peasant hill-stock.
However, the fear of malaria kept them in the hills, and these absentee
zamindars relied on local cultivators to extract the produce from the land. This
helped develop a rentier mentality, and the hill landowners soon became an idle
elite who lived off the labour of others even while despising them. This kind of
disdain for the peasantry is most visible, even today, in the western tarai,
where Jang Bahadur and his Rana descendants doled out parcels of land to Chhetri
court faithfuls, poor Rana cousins, destitute Thakuri in-laws and sundry other
Brahmin priests. The landowners used the brute power of the state machinery to
enslave the local peasantry. As with the zamindars to the south, these
neo-zamindars of the north indulged in the worst forms of feudal exploitation,
pauperising the local Tharu farmers and turning them into kamaiya (bonded
labour) slaves, creating a system that was not outlawed till
  the year 2000.
   The colonisation pattern was somewhat different in the eastern tarai, but
still ended up marginalising the indigenous people, Tharu, Rajbanshi and Sattar
tribals. In the central tarai, where a civilisation (Tirhut, Mithila) flourished
much before the formation of the Nepali state, title-holders of land from the
hills were relatively more respectful towards the locals. But even here, the
forest was cleared at a faster rate than it could be brought under cultivation
by the local people alone, so the hill-elite encouraged in-migration from Bihar.
Those who came over were mostly from the lower strata of society, more
subservient to their masters, and so here too the hill land-owners got
accustomed to lording it.
   The common heritage of the divided plain does not end with the correspondence
of their agrarian structures and rural classes. It extends as much to the
communal and social compositions of their respective populations, their shared
political heritage, the common threats facing their culture and their
marginalisation within mainstream society.
   The erosion of the cultural base is perhaps the most visible aspect of the
divided plain and language is one area where the loss is felt most acutely. Both
Nepali as well as Hindi belong to the same family of languages, derived largely
from Sanskrit. Both have drawn extensively from the Persian and Arabic
influences of the Mughal court of Lucknow. Another similarity between these two
�official� languages is that both have grown at the expense of the local
languages of the Ganga plain. But, despite the patronage extended to the
official languages, on both sides people prefer their mother tongues to their
�official� language. On the Indian side, east to west, they speak Maithili,
Bhojpuri and Awadhi � languages that have been appropriated by Hindi zealots as
different dialects (boli) of official Hindi. For long, these language have
laboured under the domination of �Khadi Boli Hindi�. The state government of
Bihar for a while recognised Maithili, but Laloo Yadav decided that
  it gave an unfair advantage to the Maithil Brahmins of North Bihar and
therefore withdrew recognition. Bhojpuri and Awadhi, too, continue to languish.
   Likewise, in Nepal the political power of the hill elites has ensured that the
culture of the tarai has never been promoted by the state as part of the Nepali
culture. The masterpieces of the great poet Vidyapati � poems based on the folk
songs of Mithila � were composed as early as the 13th century, but the honour of
being named the Aadi Kavi of Nepal (and not just of Nepali, as is the case in
reality) goes to Bhanu Bhakta who came nearly six hundred years later.
   Bride & Bread
   Partaking as they do of a common legacy of past achievement and present
neglect, political boundaries cannot suffice to arrest the mutual traffic
between the northern and southern plains. In the hills of Nepal, India is
referred to as Muglan (land of the Mughals). The colloquial term for the
territory �beyond the border� in Mathili, Bhojpuri as well as in Awadhi, is
Magulan. Conversely, the word for Nepal in Maithili is Sarhad � the frontier. It
is a name well deserved, as the southern flank of Nepal truly is the frontier of
the Ganga civilisation.
   The circulation of culture is across the plains societies is an everyday
phenomenon. Pilgrimages take people across the border both ways. The Mithila
Parikrama � or the circumambulation of the ancient capital of Mithila � takes
devotees to sites on both sides of the border in the completion of the
pilgrimage. The Pashupathinath temple continues to attract devotees in hordes to
Nepal while Bishwanath of Benaras and Baijnath of Bihar are two very important
shrines for Nepali Hindus. Festivals and cultural practices are nearly identical
in the Nepal Tarai and the region to the south. Lakhs of Nepali �tarailis� and
Biharis together attend the Vivaha Panchami, Ram Navami and Panchkoshi Parikrama
festivals in Janakpur. Legends communicate values across generations, and the
plays based on Ramayan (Ramlila), Allahudal and King Salhesh are common to the
communities on both sides of the border, as are the traditions of Jhanda (flag
of Hanuman) and Daha (a Shia Muslim celebration).
  The tarailis celebrate Holi, Diwali and Dushhera with their counterparts across
the lines on the map. The temple of Chhinnamasta, near Rajbiraj in the eastern
Nepal Tarai, is revered by all the people of the Kosi belt in Nepal and Bihar.
For the Muslims of the tarai and the Ganga plains, the influence of dargahs and
madrasas is not blocked a whit by the international boundary.
   The Anglo-Nepal war that settled the boundary in the central tarai left
districts such as Mahotari, Rautahat, Bara and Parsa with a sizeable Muslim
population. Much of the Awadh tarai was under the suzerainty of Lucknow, and the
transfer of territory in �Naya Muluk� (Banke, Bardia, Kailai and Kanchanpur
districts in the far west of Nepal) took place after the final fall of the
Mughals in 1857, when the British rewarded Jang Bahadur for his loyalty during
the Mutiny. This further added to Nepal�s muslim fold, a demographic category
that is identical with Muslims across the boundary in India.
   Many Muslim activists found temporary shelter in the tarai of �Hindu rashtra�
Nepal in the wake of the communal riots that engulfed North India after the
demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992. This prompted the RSS-inspired
media to label madrasas in the Nepal Tarai as hotbeds of anti-India activity
fuelled by Pakistan�s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In their characteristic
zealousness, Hindu fundamentalists look suspiciously at every Nepali Muslim, and
are appalled by the �leniency shown by the Nepali state. It is a tribute to the
tolerance of Hindus of the Nepal Tarai, however, that the propaganda war being
waged by the radically politicised Hindus of India has failed to make a dent in
their behaviour towards fellow Muslims.
   There was also a reverse flow of people from Nepal to the Indian part of the
plain. Two kinds of taraili people have opted to go to Bihar and UP, one kind
was the marginalised poor, from the lowest strata of society, exploited by the
Nepali-speaking zamindars. The other kind of taraili were the very rich who
wanted to gain respectability by becoming full-fledged zamindars. Nepali
zamindars were merely revenue contractors for the Ranas, but one could gain
�respect-ability� by buying small villages in Bihar or UP.
   A case in point in Mahotari is the clan of Shyamanadan Mishra, India�s foreign
minister in the Charan Singh cabinet of the late 1970s. The Mishras had been
residents of the Nepali zamindari of Pipra for over a century, and
Shyam-anandan�s grandfather once went looking for a groom for his daughter,
seeking some reputed Bhumihar families of Bihar. He was turned down because
while the Mishras of Pipra, though very rich, were merely the subjects of the
Ranas while the Bhumihars in Bihar were independent zamindars under the British.
Incensed, he bought a huge zamindari bordering Nepal. This was how, in the
contem-porary period, one of his grandsons become a minister in India
(Shyam-anandan) while two others became ministers in Nepal (Bhadrakali Mishra
and Ram Narayan Mishra).
   This free movement of people within a common cultural region promoted not only
political but also marital connec-tions. Marriage across the border is common to
this day, so much so that the tarai-centered Sadhbhavana Party�s lawmaker
Hridayesh Tripathi can justifiably point out that the relationship between the
people of Bihar and UP on the one hand and tarailis on the other is that of
roti-beti � bread and bride.
   There is however a caveat to this account of similarities. There is between
the northern and southern part of the plain a hierarchy of status. The attitude
of the elites of UP and Bihar towards the �tarailis� of Nepal has always been
ambivalent. While they admired the �purity� of Sarahadiyas, ruled as they were
by Hindu kings (as opposed to being lorded over by Mughal vassals), these elites
also viewed the Sarahadiyas as uncultured and uncivilized � in a phrase, country
bumpkins. Thus, Bihari landlords happily gave their daughters in marriage to
well-to-do Sarhadiya clans, but when it came to choosing brides they preferred
to select among themselves. Such differences are the precursors of larger
differences rooted in geopolitics and unequal relations between India and Nepal,
some part of which at least has its base in cultural attitudes. Equally, they
are the products of material stagnation and cultural erosion. Relegated
societies need to invent differences of honour,
  status and lineage to retain a sense of self-worth, particularly if they happen
to be legatees of an ancient civilisation. Clearly, the divided plain is in
urgent need of some form of reintegration and revitalisation.
   Heart of heartland
   Culture is not only what is it understood to be, it is also what one does. It
has to be dynamic and fluid, and in the context of the Ganga Rectangle which
encapsulates the currently separated Nepal Tarai, eastern Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar, it has become necessary to give cultural flows an orientation towards the
future. On both �sides�, a new generation is emerging that has not shared the
shackles of either colonialism or despotism. For this generation, the fact that
Fanishwar Nath Renu, the celebrated Hindi writer, spent his childhood in Koirala
Niwas (the house of the Nepali political family of the Koiralas) in Biratnagar,
or the fact that the first few stories by BP Koirala were written in Hindi and
published in Hansa, an influential literary journal of that time produced in
Allahabad, has little, if any, significance. The political games played by
Kathmandu and New Delhi are steadily pushing shared values into the background,
although they have not succeeded on this
  frontier as they have in others for the sheer volume of cultural baggage that
is shared. Nevertheless, these days there is more acrimony over, say, who takes
the blame for the monsoon floods. Historically the point was moot.
   The political connections between Nepal and the Ganga maidaan were of course
dictated by more than just happenstance and the need for upward mobility. Due to
the free movement of people, the emergence of anti-colonial mass politics in
India inspired the struggle against the Rana oligarchy in Nepal. Since open
political activity was not possible within Nepal, much of this struggle was
based in India side of the plains. The fire of British Indian jails baptised
most of the leading lights of the anti-Rana struggle. The venues for the
convention of newborn Nepali political parties were Patna, Benaras, Begusharai
and Darbhanga. When an armed insurgency against the Ranas was launched, weapons
were collected in Bihar and transported to the border. New   Delhi came into the
picture only when the movement had already entered the final phase of
negotiation and settlement.
   Nepal�s first experiment with democracy lasted just about a decade (1951-1960)
and the first elected parliament of the country survived barely eighteen months.
Soon thereafter, King Mahendra�s direct rule commenced and political parties
were proscribed. Almost the entire leadership of the Nepali Congress was put
behind bars. Once again, Bihar and UP became the springboard for the democratic
struggle of Nepal as Nepali Congress leaders, as well as some Nepali communists,
found refuge in Patna and Benaras. Not only did the highly political Koirala
family reside in Bihar, exiled by the Rana regime in the 1920s, an entire
generation of Nepali political leadership grew up in the border towns of Bihar
and UP. Even in modern times, therefore, the myths and histories of people on
both sides of the tarai border are inextricably inter-twined. Mahatma Gandhi,
Jaya Prakash Narayan and Karpoori Thakur, of India, are equally respected in the
Nepal Tarai. More recently, Laloo and
  Mulayam have been hailed as messiahs of Yadavs as much in Nepal as in Bihar and
UP. This will come as news to Kathmandu�s insular elites, who prefer to fly over
the tarai, Bihar and eastern UP on their way to the power centre of Delhi,
neglectful of the contributions of the plains to the making of the hill�s
polity.
   In the Ganga Rectangle, the larger number of people by their tens of million
inhabit of course eastern UP and Bihar. But if a cultural, economic and social
revival is sought in this region, the very nature of the centralised Indian
republic will not allow dynamic new energy to be generated in these regions. It
is clear that the Nepalis of the tarai have to take the leadership to develop
common flows into the future, which will benefit the larger fold. While the
political establishment of India relies on the votes of this heart of the �Hindi
heartland�, the region remains a neglected backwater left to wallow in its own
underdevelopment and seeming incor-rigibility. On the other hand, the Nepal
Tarai is emerging as a dynamic region in its own right, and will before long
will be creating economic reverberations along the entire Gangetic belt.
   The Nepal Tarai has certain attributes that eminently qualify it to assume
leadership in the development of the Ganga Rectangle. It constitutes 23 percent
of Nepal�s landmass, and today houses more than half of Nepal�s population.
There is still a lot of green cover remaining, however, of the jungle, which is
a remnant of the dense woodlands that once stretched from the Jamuna to the
Brahmaputra. The tarai is the food bowl of Nepal, producing 70 percent of its
rice and all kinds of cash crops including pulses, vegetables, tobacco,
sugarcane and jute. Industrially, the tarai is even more important for the
Nepali economy, as almost all consumer goods produced within the country are
from factories that dot the tarai landscape. Out of about 60 towns of
significant size, 40 are located in the tarai. Barring the Kathmandu and Pokhara
valleys in the mid-hills, all other important urban settlements lie in the
southern plains. Most crucially, even though only 20 out of 75
  districts of Nepal fall in the tarai, together they send nearly half of all the
lawmakers to the Lower House of the country�s Parliament. These factors combine
to give the Nepal Terai a potential preponderance and influence within Nepal,
compared to eastern UP and northern Bihar�s �relegated� role within not only
India, but also the states of UP and Bihar themselves. Not only New  Delhi, but
Lucknow and Patna can afford to neglect eastern UP and northern Bihar, whereas
Kathmandu is required now to pay attention to the Nepal Terai even though it too
has historically neglected it.
   From a forested backwater of the Nepali nation-state, therefore, the tarai
today is swiftly emerging as a well-populated economic powerhouse. Three decades
of trying (and lots of foreign aid, including India�s) has completed the
East-West Highway, which not only helps economically and socially integrate
Nepal, but with feeder roads it provides a potential trunk route for the economy
of the regions to the south as well. Above the flood line and well-built along
most of its thousand-kilometre length, this highway � the brainchild of King
Mahendra in the early 1960s � is all set to promote cross-border markets and
industry. The 1996 trade treaty between Nepal and India, which is lenient on
�local-content� requirements for Nepali exports, coupled with Nepal�s potential
for generating hydropower to spur industry and the prospects of good governance
as and when the current Maoist problem is resolved � points to a time when the
plains of Nepal will provide an economic backbone
  to the Hindi heartland of India. Already, some Indian corporates are taking
advantage of the locational assets of the tarai, and there is no reason why this
trend will not accelerate once the political teething problems of Nepali
democracy are sorted out. The construction of the dry ports of Birgunj and
Bhairawa have been completed, and once they are connected to Calcutta by Indian
Railways� containers, the economic boost will benefit both sides of the border.
Likewise, as and when an international airport is developed in the tarai, either
at Nijgadh or Bhairawa or elsewhere, this will provide another injection of
energy to the Ganga Rectangle.
   Education and health services are another important area where the tarai can
lead the way, for whereas once Nepalis crossed the border points for learning,
the roles are swiftly being reversed today as the quality of educational
establishments and hospitals in Bihar and eastern UP plummet. On the other hand,
the Nepali hills are seeing a renaissance of sorts in private schooling that is
all set to spread to the tarai. In the meantime, it is the complaint of hospital
administrators right across the Nepal Tarai that they are being swamped by the
demands of Biharis and UPites. The Nepal Eye Care Foundation, on an average,
sees about 5,000 patients from across the border per day. This is a far cry from
the days when Nepali patients used to go to Sitapur and Aligarh in UP for minor
eye operations. A cancer hospital in Bharatpur in the inner tarai of central
Nepal sees patients from large parts of Bihar and UP, and a large Indian-aided
teaching hospital in Dharan in east Nepal
  sees patients from as far afield as Assam, West Bengal and Bihar. Since it will
be difficult for Nepal to restrict access to such facilities on the basis of
nationality � the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Kathmandu and New
Delhi, for one, requires equal treatment of each other�s citizens � there is
clearly no way out for either side but to plan more of a future together.
   Ganga culture
   While economic growth is linked to political stability and will take its time,
the tarai is already taking a clear lead over its neighbours in the cultural
sphere. The languages of the Ganga maidaan � Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Awadhi �
shared by the people of the Nepal Tarai, have started to benefit from the
languages movement in Nepal. The speakers of these native tongues of the
cross-border region, while they may not be overwhelming in absolute numbers, are
a significant proportion of Nepal�s population nevertheless � together
constituting about 26 percent of the total (Maithili � 12 percent, Bhojpuri � 7
percent, Tharu � 5 percent, and Awadhi � 2 percent). Even though Maithili may
now benefit from the formation of Jharkhand � as Maithili-speaking areas become
politically more significant in a truncated Bihar � the Nepali Tarai will remain
a more receptive ground for the advancement of these languages. Bhojpuri and
Awadhi enjoy higher respectability in Nepal�s Birgunj and
  Bhairawa than across the border in Motihari and Gorkhapur.
   Due to the politics of numbers, the Nepali speakers of Parsa District or Deep
Kumar Upadhyay of Kapilvastu District are proud to flaunt their Bhojpuri or
Awadhi, while their counterparts across the border continue to try and gain
respectability through using Hindi in Patna, Lucknow and New Delhi.
   But, the Hindi spoken by the people of eastern UP and Bihar is the butt of
jokes for Khadi Boli purists and Bollywood scriptwriters alike, but it continues
to be the language for the upwardly in Bihar and eastern UP, even while there is
a resurgence of mother tongues in the Nepal Tarai. Professor Dhireshwar Jha
Dhirendra, perhaps the most respected Maithili scholar alive, has chosen to stay
in Nepal despite his Indian citizenship, and is today a member of the
govern-ment-backed Royal Nepal Academy. Indeed, the little innovations in Mai-
thili are all happening on the Nepal side of the border, whether it is the
production of books and cassettes in Maithila, or even CDs and films as has
started. Though what is happening is hardly enough even, something similar is
underway with Bhojpuri and Awadhi. Literatteurs of these lan-guages find a
relatively more free atmosphere in Nepal than in Bihar and UP.
   Thus, today Janakpur, Rajbiraj and Simraungadh are better placed to promote
Maithili culture than Dar- bhanga, Madhubani and Muzza-ffarpur. Kalaiya and
Birgunj have a more vibrant Bhojpuri flavour than the highly-criminalised
Motihari. Lum-bini and Kapilvastu hold the potential of becoming seats of Awadhi
resur-gence. But for things to prosper more culturally, the opinion-makers of
Bihar and eastern UP need to realise that their cultural renaissance is possible
only through a closer tie-up with their Sarhadiya brothers and sisters � who
they have historically tended to revile as country bumpkins.
   In cultural matters, it seems clear that the dynamism cannot come from Bihar
or eastern UP. Thus, Nepal has released its FM radio airwaves to the public, and
while there are many Nepali-language stations all over, there is already one
which is broadcasting part-time in Awadhi. While Radio Nepal already airs news
in Maithili and Bhojpuri on its short-wave bands, before long local FM radio
based in Janakpur will be beaming local language programmes that can be caught
all over the Mithila region. The same will be true of Bhojpuri. The fact that
the two sides at the Birgunj-Raxaul border point have now been provided local
telephone facility is another harbinger of closer interactions between the Nepal
Tarai and neighbouring regions of the Ganga Plain.
   Earlier, Maithili books by Hari Mohan Jha were big hits in the tarai, and
these days the most active Maithili dramatist, Mahendra Malangiya, is based in
Janakpur. Further consolidation of modern-day cultural linkages would lead to
the publication of economically viable literary and news magazines in Maithili,
Bhojpuri and Awadhi. The people of the region should also capture their culture
for their own benefit. To begin with, there is no point in calling the same
school of painting �Madhubani art� in India/Bihar and �Mithila� in Nepal. When
it represents the cultural legacy of Mithila, why not call it that? Meanwhile,
just as Mithila art has been rescued from the clutches of oblivion, there is
urgent need to revive Bhojpuri pottery and Awadhi weaves.
   Oil and water
   Nepal�s national identity was sought to be built around the Gorkhali
conquerors who established the Gorkhali state on the strength of their khukuri.
This �Nepali culture� is relatively young, hence very vibrant and assertive; but
it is also insecure for the very same reason. In order to fortify its identity,
it seeks to build walls around itself. The overwhelming results of opinion polls
demanding �regulation� of the India-Nepal border are nothing but a reflection of
this insecurity. But the statist-minded of Nepal will have to understand that
those who are born Maithils will forever be Maithils regardless of their
citizenship, be it Indian, Nepali, Canadian or Australian. The same is true for
the remote neo-colonists of New Delhi or those somewhat closer in Lucknow or
Patna. Cultural identities are deeper and stronger than political ties, and this
unity of purpose needs to be exploited for mutual benefit by the people of Nepal
and India, not denied or destroyed. For the
  taraili people, the challenge will be to convince the Kathmandu elite that the
surge in cultural flows does not weaken national loyalties � you cannot dilute
oil with water. They operate at separate levels and need to be treated as such.
Cultural diversity is the strength of the Nepali state, not its weakness.
   For the people of Bihar and UP living in the border region, it is important to
realise that just as all their rivers flow down from Himalayas, the source of
their cultural awakening may now lie in the Nepal Tarai. It may be politically
expedient for New  Delhi to brand all madrassas in the tarai as seats of Islamic
extremism, but people on both sides of the border know that it is safer being a
Muslim in �Hindu� Nepal than it is in �secular� Bihar or eastern UP. This is so
because the dominant identity of people in Nepal is still cultural, while it has
acquired communal and casteist overtones in India. The way to strengthen
cultural identity is to make it more vibrant, and the tarai is well placed for
the moment due to its enhanced place within Nepal to lead such a movement. In
India, the New Delhi-centric intelligentsia would do well to look at the heart
of the Hindi heartland and see how the nodes of its resurgence lie up north
across the border in the Nepal Tarai.
   Even for the Indian elite, the realisation must have dawned by now that the
overarching national slogans of �Mera Bharat Mahan�, �Garva se kaho hum Hindu
hain� and �Hindu-Muslim Bhai Bhai� cannot counter other deep-rooted identities
like being the progeny of the mythical Yadu (Yadavs) or Parushram (the
Bhumihar�s Ranvir Sena). To weaken such parochialism, however, it is necessary
to strengthen the more inclusive cultural identities in this region such as the
Maithili, Bhojpuri and Awadhi ones. Inspired by the history of nation-building
in Europe, India�s freedom fighters copied their model from the British and
forged the Indian identity around Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan, the thin veneer of
secularism notwithstanding. This was a mistake, in the long term.
   Cultural identities (nationalities) are to be seen as a resource; attempts at
replacing them entirely with political citizenship will be fruitless, if not
actually counter-productive. Strong nationalities give strength to citizenship
in plural societies. People from both sides of the Indo-Nepal border have lived
together, survived the vagaries of nature, and prospered by co-operating with
each other. There is a need to make such ties stronger, rather than sacrifice
them on the altar of statist nationalism.

   The cultural awakening around Janakpur and Lumbini can lift the Mithila and
Awadh regions from their present lassitude and depression. Industrial resurgence
along the Birgunj-Butwal stretch can inspire the commercially moribund
Vaishali-Motihari regions and their Bhojpuri-speaking population in Bihar. For
places like Kishanganj, Saharasa, Darbhanga, Muzzaffarpur, Motihari, Siwan and
Gorakhpaur, economic development in Nepal�s tarai will have a more immediate
impact than the progress in Cyberabad or the Silicon Plateau. In many ways, the
Nepal Tarai and even Kathmandu Valley today matter more for Bihar and eastern UP
than New Delhi. In the same way, the tarai (and Kathmandu, ultimately) cannot
escape from the follies of Lucknow and Patna and needs to be better aware of
trends and events south of the border. For too long, have the intelligentsia
from the two sides looking to Delhi Durbar than at each other.Dinkar, a Bihari
poet, writing in Hindi, expresses his laments to
  the mountains in his poem titled �Addressed to the Himalaya�. He, at least,
understood the symbiotic link between the adjacent region. This is how Dinkar
voices his anguish:


---------------------------------
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Bihar woman selected for Asadharan Mahila award
Patna: Another poor woman from Bihar has made her state proud with her
dedication, commitment and willpower.
newkerala.com, 11th May 2006

Ragini Devi, from Balthi Rasoolpur village in Muzaffarpur district, has been
chosen as "India's first Asadharan Mahila (unusual woman)" for her
path-breaking move to take up vegetable cultivation and inspire hundreds of
women to take it up as a means of livelihood.

The 42-year-old Ragini Devi will inaugurate an international woman's
conference along with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi on Friday.
She will light the inaugural lamp along with Kalam and share the dais with
the president - a rare chance for a woman from her background - during the
two-day conference.

She was chosen for the award by New Delhi-based Grassroots magazine. Ashwani
Kumar, district convenor of the NGO Sansarg, said Ragini Devi had joined
Sansarg five years ago to work in her village for women's empowerment. "She
started vegetable cultivation in her village and inspired dozens to earn
their livelihood through her initiative," Kumar said.

Ragini Devi's move to take up vegetable cultivation made her a household
name in Bochhan block in Muzaffarpur. "Thanks to her, vegetables, which were
cultivated at a small level a few years ago, are now sent to different
places across India and exported too," Kumar said.

And Ragini Devi is alone credited for all the success.

Early this year, Girija Devi, a poor and illiterate Dalit woman from Bihar,
was selected to represent India at an international UN-sponsored seminar for
her work in an anti-liquor drive in rural areas. Girija Devi, in her late
50s and a mother of four, belongs to Chipulia village in east Champaran
district.

Last year, two Dalit women from Madhuban district - Tiliya Devi and America
Devi - were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005.

In December 2004, 14-year old Guriya Khatoon, a Muslim girl from a poor
Bihar family, was selected by UNICEF to represent India at the release of
its report in London. The United Nations Children's Fund had earlier
selected Lalita, a Dalit girl from Bihar's Mushhar community, to feature on
the cover of the State of the World's Children 2004 report.


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Bihar ration cards scam comes to light
Patna, PTI: May 11, 2006

A Rs 1,400 crore scam related to the alleged misuse of subsidised rations
and short supply of foodgrains to people below the poverty line during the
erstwhile RJD rule in Bihar has come to light.

Some documents show that over 21 lakh special ration cards were issued by
authorities to people who were not entitled to benefit from the scheme.

The documents were gathered from the state food department, the Economic
Offenses Wing (EOW) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the
Vigilance Investigation Bureau. They showed that the food department had on
September 4, 2000 admitted in an official communication to the EOW that it
had reviewed the below poverty level (BPL) list between 1998 and 2000, and
struck off 21,00,226 non-BPL beneficiaries from among 61 lakh "red card"
holders.

The food department also admitted that exactly the same number of
beneficiaries were later included in the list. By March 31, 2001, the food
department established that 21,00,226 red cards were distributed to non-BPL
beneficiaries and that they had lifted subsidised rations using the cards.
The cost of these rations was put at Rs 300 crore.

The short supply of foodgrains to genuine red cards holders was projected at
Rs 146 crore. According to the EOW, the total cost of the lost opportunity
to the poor in respect of the scheme alone came to about Rs 1000 crore.

Several district officials, including some magistrates and supply officers,
who were allegedly involved in implementing the scheme five years ago, have
recently denied they ever made a survey and eliminated the non-beneficiaries
from the BPL list.

The food department too has, in an official reply to enquiries from the
Comptroller and Auditor General of India, admitted it was unable to specify
on what basis 21 lakh names were excluded and then replaced in the list.

Auditors have asked the food department to clarify the veracity of red cards
that were excluded and then subsequently added back to the BPL list.

Sources said a former food secretary, who was transferred as managing
director of the Bihar state cooperative bank a fortnight ago, had
recommended action against 40 officers, including some district magistrates,
but the files are gathering dust.

They also alleged that the Bihar Vigilance Bureau had failed to act against
those who were major players in the scam. The documents suggest large-scale
manipulation and omission in the department of food and civil supplies with
respect to the issue of the red cards.

According to the documents, the state government had directed vigilance
authorities to probe the large-scale pilferage of subsidised foodgrains
meant for holders of red cards.The vigilance department has been
deliberating the matter since 1999 and expressed reservations about
investigating a matter that involved the verification of such a large number
of red cards.

The food cell of the EOW, which is statutorily obliged to look into such
matters, has registered 36 cases after extensive investigations.

The EOW has since 1998 been reporting large-scale misuse of the red card
scheme and had offered to conduct a survey to determine the exact percentage
of bogus and fictitious cards.

The food department and later the director general of police had turned down
the proposal but the EOW made an informed estimate of the misuse of the
cards and apprised the then chief secretary of the gravity of the matter.
But the government looked the other way, sources said.


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Bihar govt scheme for treatment of BPL cancer, heart patients
Patna, May 9:
newkerala.com

In an effort to reach the benefits of modern medicare to the most deprived
sections of the society, Bihar Government today decided to provide monetary
help to below poverty line (BPL) people for treatment, both inside and
outside the state, of ten serious diseases.

The state cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also
decided to launch 'Janani, Bal Surakhsa' scheme with the help of the Centre
under which BPL mothers would be provided financial help for delivering
their babies in government hospitals as well as in private nursing homes.

The scheme is aimed at checking the mother and infant mortality among the
BPL families. The existing mother and infant mortality rate in Bihar is 452
per one lakh and 60 per thousand births respectively. Both the schemes would
be launched in the state from July one, cabinet secretary A K Chouhan told
reporters here.

Chouhan said the government would provide Rs 40,000 for cancer operation
within the state and Rs 60,000 elsewhere to a member of a BPL family.
Similarly, the government would dole out Rs 1.5 lakh for kidney transplant,
Rs 50,000 for implanting pacemaker, an equal amount for the treatment of
AIDS, Rs 15,000 for spine surgery and also for treatment of brain tumors.

The cabinet secretary said the government has also decided to provide life
saving medicines free of cost to outdoor and indoor patients in medical
college hospitals, government hospitals and primary health centres.
Altogether 32 drugs would be made available free of cost in medical colleges
and 24 drugs in government hospitals.


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Decks cleared for start of inland waterways in Bihar
Thursday May 11 2006 00:00 IST
PTI

DARBHANGA: Survey work for starting inland waterways in prominent rivers
including Ganga, Sone, Kosi and Gandak flowing through Bihar would begin
from next week and would provide easy transportation facilities for over
2000 panchayats situated on the banks.

The centre has approved the plan for development of inland waterways and
also sanctioned Rs 1.15 crore for the purpose, Bihar transport Minister Ajit
Kumar told reporters here on Tuesday night.

In the first phase, inland waterways would be developed in rivers Ganga,
Sone, Kosi and Gandak and would be later extended to other rivers, the
Minister said, adding the NDA government of Nitish Kumar would soon unveil a
new transport policy, including lowering of road tax and starting pollution
checking centres in all the districts.

The transport Minister said he would hold dialogue with the transporters who
had left the state in the past due to 'mismanagement' under the previous RJD
regime. The government was also holding talks with non-governmental
organisations with an objective to streamline traffic system in the urban
areas.

The district transport offices would be computerised and Darbhanga Transport
Office would be developed as a model depot, he added.


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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060510/asp/jamshedpur/story_6205232.asp

B-school tips for  new image
                      - Bihar tie-up with XLRI
AMIT GUPTA
Nitish: Smart move
Jamshedpur, May 9: Government employees in Bihar � from grade IV workers to
senior officials � are in for some B-school lessons.
                                                                                
The Nitish Kumar administration is set to enter into a tie-up with Jamshedpur�s
XLRI School of Management in a bid to boost the image of the state machinery.
                                                                                
Under the programme that is expected to start in July, the premier business
school will impart training to thousands of state employees cutting across
categories.
                                                                                
Additional chief secretary of Bihar A.K. Choudhary  told The Telegraph that the
NDA government was serious about changing work culture in the various state
departments. �We are tying up with XLRI, which will impart training to our
employees from the secretariat to collectorates in all the districts. This is an
initiative by chief minister Nitish Kumar himself,� Choudhary said at the local
circuit house here.
                                                                                
Choudhary today held talks with senior XLRI officials to finalise the
nitty-gritty of the training programme. The meetings were held with the faculty
members of the management development programme (MDP) and the institute�s
director, Father N. Casimir Raj.
                                                                                
The programme envisages tips on quality of leadership, attitude and behavioural
change, group activities and development of a people-friendly approach.
                                                                                
The XLRI director appeared ready for the challenge. �It is an excellent
opportunity for the institute as well�. We are working with the Bihar government
in a bid to help it develop the state�s human resource,� he said, adding that
the course, which will be conducted in the steel city, will start in July.
                                                                                
Sources pointed out that MDP coordinator E.M. Rao will oversee the project,
which will feature a targeted course content and modules prepared with the help
of experts.
                                                                                
A senior government official in Patna said: �Much needs to be done to improve
the image of the government, which has gone down in public memory over the past
decade.�


Lt. Col. (Retd.) Bajrang Bihari Singh
Sec-5, Plot - 452
Vaishali, Ghaziabad
U.P.
Phone- 0120-2772949

---------------------------------
Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I think this was meant for group...

--- ashu rai <ashu_rai_2001@...> wrote:

> Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 10:29:56 -0700 (PDT)
> From: ashu rai <ashu_rai_2001@...>
> Subject: Re: [Jamshedpur] Re: Lets do this....
> To: nitinchandra25@...
> CC: ntexpert1@...
>
> Hi Nitin
>   Its shocking and sad to see that you are into film
> direction and you present your idea or rather vent
> your frustration in this manner. Just because the
> administrative and political situation in Bihar is
> at its worse, does not make Biharis ugly.
>
>   If you are a Bihari, stop taking shit from others.
> And if you take shit then keep it to yourself.
>
>   People migrate to other states in search of better
> education and livelihood. This itself shows that
> there are large number of people who strive for
> better life whether at home or outside. People from
> Bihar are just like people from any other state. You
> may brand Americans as the most law abiding people
> on earth but see what happened in New Orleans during
> Katrina when administration failed. There were
> lootings everywhere.
>
>   Film people have always portrayed Bihar in bad
> light. Do you think there are only criminals in
> Bihar? Why can't you touch the lives of honest,
> smart, intelligent and hardworking Biharis in your
> films.
>
>   Bihar certainly needs help infact all of rural
> India needs help. You say that you have plans, why
> don't you state your "plans".
>
>   I appreciate Sudhir for his Journalism in/on
> Bihar. The job itself requires lots of valor.
>
>   Asutosh Rai
>   Sudhir Kumar <ntexpert1@...> wrote:
>   Hi Nitin,
>
> I will start from where you ended, writing e-mails
> will not work, I agree with you... but not 100%, you
> want ppl who can spend 2-3 months in Bihar to change
> the image of Bihar, why dont you try to be the first
> one... ???
>
> Now, let us discuss about Image of Biharis, I agree
> that a common Bihari image is about labours, this is
> just because, the first migrants from the state were
> labour-class people, who wanted to earn money by
> doing
> anything (Selling vegitables, pulling rickshaw
> etc.),
> but I feel like the image is changing now...
>
> Well... regarding Bal Thakray, his Shivsena and the
> changing Image/Importance of Bihar, please check the
> link given below
>
> http://www.bhojpuria.com/samachar/news.php?a=511
>
> If you want, you may read more in bhojpuri at
>
>
http://www.bhojpuria.com/jump.php?page=vibhos/day3.htm
>
> I agree that some Biharis are a bit bad in using the
> language, should i show you examples in
> marathi/tamil/punjabi communities ??? Each and every
> culture have some people like that.
>
> Now, come to the feeling of Greatness, yes we are
> great, just because we are from Bihar. Its the same
> land, which gave birh to Budhdha, Mahavir, Chanakya,
> Kunwar Singh, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and many more...
> you
> may read details at
>
> http://www.bhojpuria.com/people/people.php
>
> You might be bored by this old story, let me tell
> you
> a new one, do you know Mahatma Gandhi ??? The father
> of the Nation ??? M. K. Gandhi was never a leader in
> Gujarat or Maharastra, he came to Champaran (Bihar)
> and started his first movement... there is something
> in this soil, which makes leaders like Mahatma
> Gandhi.
> Correct me, if I am wrong...
>
> So, who is responcible for spoiling the Image of
> Bihar
> and Biharis ??? Media, Poliicians and WE... yes, if
> we
> feel shy to introduce us as bihari, everyone will
> think bihar can not have ppl who used to work in
> calfornia (like you).
>
> Last week, I was in Singapore... All the Bhojpuria
> Community in Singapore (from Bihar/UP) celebrated an
> evening together with Bhojpuri songs, dance, food
> and
> a lot of fun... No one was trying to hide his/her
> identity...
>
> Looking forward for comments from everyone.
>
> Sudhir Kumar
> http://www.bhojpuria.com
> Phone: + 91 - 9931182544, 9431111776
>
>
>
>
>
> --- nitin chandra
> wrote:
>
> > Respected patrons of this group.
> >
> > I am a new member of this group, I read lof of
> > things for and
> > against biharis, I have been reading about Bihar
> > since 3-4 years,
> > before that It didnt matter much, as I was in my
> own
> > world, living
> > at Patna, but Once I stepped out of Bihar I came
> to
> > know, what i am
> > to myself and others outside Bihar.
> >
> > The condition is F&$%^*) pathetic, Once you utter
> > you are a Bihari,
> > either people are scared(we think we are great) or
> > you are ridiculed.
> > Writing articles and running Blog Spot wont help,
> I
> > know one
> > Bihareebabu (he calls himself like that), who runs
> a
> > website too,
> > listed people whofrom Bihar who are settled in
> > differenct countries.
> > when I contacted him and asked him is it going to
> > help us he was
> > agitated, there is lot of false hood in ourself.
> Is
> > that going to
> > help Biharis and Bihar?
> >
> > We say we give most no. of IAS, IPS, etc, How is
> > that creating
> > Industries, education,investment, law/order,
> etc,etc
> > at Home. You go
> > to places like Gurgaon, Rohtak,Hisar in Haryana;
> > Mysore,Mangalore in
> > Karnataka, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur in
> > Maharastra..Baroda, Rajkot, etc
> > places in Gujrat and your neighbouring UP, you
> will
> > so much of
> > development, and mind you these places are not
> > capital, I was
> > standing at a signal in Hisar at 12:00 midnight,
> > signal showed red
> > and 2-3 cars were standing, even though there was
> no
> > one to come
> > from the other side; I know its stupid but you can
> > sense the
> > respect for Law, may be a few people follow that
> but
> > it was evident.
> > but in Bihar we take pride in breaking rules, Isnt
> > it?
> >
> > Oh! I didnt say about myself, My name is Nitin
> > chandra on this blog
> > I read message about my sister Neetu Chandra, who
> is
> > an actress, It
> > was pleasant to read about her, thanks.I have done
> > Masters in
> > Communication Studies, with Specialisation in
> Video
> > Production from
> > University of Pune, have directed two short films
> > and worked as an
> > Asst. Director in Several Ad films. My first film
> > was about Bihar
> > Maharastra clash in 2003 for Railway in which many
> > of our students
> > were beaten up, manhadnled, abused, hurted both
> > mentally and
> > physically. reason :BIHARI.POOR UGLY BIHARI, WITH
> NO
> > BACK UP AND
> > BELONGING TO THE MOST WRETCHED STATE.Lalu is
> openly
> > abused here by
> > Bal Thackerays and etc, Its not that we love Lalu
> > but afterall he
> > represents us, and thats a real tragedy.
> >
> > We biharis are treated as clones of Lalu.
> >
> > I have stayed in delhi, Haryana, rajasthan, was
> born
> > in Kanpur,
> > lived in Bangalore, Chennai, Pune,Hyderabad and
> now
> > in Mumbai.
> >
> > I have seen most of India, its interiors too,
> people
> > know Laloo more
> > than their own CMs or local MPs etc. We take pride
> > and boast falsely
> > for laloo being shrewd, I have seen Bihari
> studnets
> > in Delhi Univ
> > campus, talking the most boorish language with
> full
> > volume and have
> > this self image that people will be scared
> around,or
> > will be
> > entertained...I have seen girls running away from
> > guys once they
> > came to know he is a Bihari.
> >
> > NOW
> >
> > Writing all this will only make me feel little
> > releived, as I am
> > throwing out my anguish.
> >
> > BUT
> >
> > Has any one of have thought what should be done.
> >
> > I HAVE PLANS.
> >
> > If anyone interested in giving 1-2 months(start
> > with) of their lives
> > for Bihar then mail me on nitinchandra25@...
> >
> > If this takes off, we can bring atleast some
> change
> > in Bihar, and
> > when we die we wont die SELFISH (I was S/W
> Engineer
> > at Sun Solaris
> > and Teralogic in California) sounds good but its
> the
> > most ugly thing
> > if you act selfish and doesnt care)atleast by then
> we
> > would have done
> > some thing for our land.
> >
> > Nitin Chandra.
> > Mumbai.
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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Bihar, Jharkhand yet to set up RTI body
newkerala.com
May 10, 2006

Gurgaon: Bihar and Jharkhand still have not set up state information
commissions under the Right To Information Act (RTI) and many government
bodies have not appointed Public Information Officers (PIOs), Chief
Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said here today.

The people should make full use of RTI, one the world's most advanced laws
to ensure transparency in the working of public authorities, Habibullah told
a seminar on "Right to Information - Obligations and Responsibilities".

The law, implemented in October 2005, provides a practical regime for the
right to information, he said.

Habibullah regretted there were a "lot of government and semi-government
departments where PIOs had not been appointed".

At the national level, 22 states had state information commissions, he said.

"Any citizen of the country including a NRI can seek all types of
information and use it for any purpose. The PIO in each government
department cannot raise questions and objections regarding the use of the
information," he said.

Habibullah said information on litigation and the judiciary could also be
accessed, except information that could impede investigations or
apprehension and prosecution of offenders.

Penalties of up to Rs.25,000 (Rs 250 a day for delays in providing
information) could be imposed on PIOs for failing to provide information
within the specified period, he said.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Report suppressed, Nitish faces heat
Piyush Pushpak
CNN-IBN
Posted Saturday , May 06, 2006 at 18:03


Patna: The ghost of Amir Das Commission has begun to haunt the Nitish Kumar
government in Bihar.

CNN-IBN had earlier reported why the commission was disbanded just when it
was about to table its report.

Ranvir Sena, the outlawed private army used to fight caste wars in Bihar,
has big shot politicians as friends, a commission has found.

The Bihar government disbanded the Justice Amir Das Commission on April 8 on
the excuse that it hadn't submitted a report nine years after its formation.

But, documents available with CNN-IBN showed involvement of top leaders of
the NDA alliance with the outlawed Ranvir Sena, hence offering a possible
explanation for the government's move.

Since the day the report was aired, Nitish government has been spending
sleepless nights as people of Bihar are up in arms demanding the commission
be re-constituted.

Agitating protestors are out on roads voicing their discontent against the
controversial move and are vouching for the re-constitution of the
Commision.

At a protest march organised by the Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist), the angry party workers

"We want Sushil Modi to resign and the Amir Das commission report to be made
public. Nitish Kumar has fooled people and he must apologise," and activist,
Saroj Chaube , says.

Report of the commission, now in possession of CNN-IBN, would have nailed
several top politicians of BJP and JDU had the report been public and
fearing the consequences, the state government had disbanded the commission.

The commission has found Ranveer Sena's political friends include bigwigs
not just from Bihar's polity, but from the national political scene.

"It's clear that people from JD(U) and BJP are involved. The papers nd
channels are full of it," Member of CPI-M(L) Bathe constituency Mahanand
says.

"Nitish Kumar may have put the Amir Das report in the dustbin, but the poor
people wasn't justice. Those involved with the Ranvir Sena should have been
punished but they are being shielded," Leader, CPI(ML) KD Yadav, says.

As many as 37 politicians have been named in the report; the links were
established through the personal diary of Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar
Mukhiya.

Documents available with CNN-IBN indicate that the commission was set to
frame clear charges against political bigwigs like senior BJP leaders Sushil
Kumar Modi and Murli Manohar Joshi.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

A silent gender revolution in Bihar
Vivek Chand
CNN-IBN
Posted Friday , May 05, 2006 at 09:53

Muzaffarpur (Bihar): Thirty-two-year old Sanjay Kumar is fast learning the
tricks of becoming an able homemaker.

Till yesterday, he was a politician with immense clout locally. Today,
Sanjay takes care of the kids and does the household chores, while his wife
goes out campaigning for the coming panchayat election where she contests
for the post of Mukhiya.

If you think women are a deprived lot in Bihar, think twice, because the
trend is changing. The panchayat elections have brought about women's
empowerment.

50 per cent reservation for women in Bihar panchayat elections is the reason
behind this role reversal.

Says Sanjay, "She goes for campaigning early morning everyday. I on the
other hand wake up the children, get them ready for school and cook the
food. I guess that is something that I have to do."

For Sanjay's wife Reena Devi, campaigning is no cake walk. She leaves home
early morning and spends the whole day mobilizing her vote bank. Her busy
schedule leaves no time for family but Sanjay's efforts have made life
easier for her, and she acknowledges that.

"I am campaigning for the post of the Panchayat Mukhiya. I don't like the
fact that my husband has to do all the work at home but we don't have much
of a choice in the matter," says she.

According to another resident of Muzaffarpur, Ram Iqbal Sah, whose wife is
also contesting the Panchayat elections, "My wife goes for her election
campaign every day so I have to do all the work at home."

This swapping of role is a pleasant and welcome change. It gives women an
opportunity to share the limelight with their male counterparts.

(With inputs from Prabhakar Kumar)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Revised norms dim rural electrification

Anil Sasi
Hindu Businessline, May 8, 2006

Out of 138 m rural households, 78 m yet to get power

Revised norms
A village can now be declared electrified only if basic infrastructure such
as distribution transformers and lines is provided in the locality.
The number of electrified households is at least 10 per cent of the total
households.
Majority of public places in the village have access to electricity.

New Delhi , May 7

It may be a one step forward, two steps backwards situation in case of the
Government's rural electrification efforts.

The number of States claiming 100 per cent rural electrification has fallen
from 11 in 1991 to just five in 2005, according to the latest Central
Electricity Authority data. Also, the national average of village
electrification is down to 74 per cent of inhabited villages, from a much
higher 85 per cent way back in 1991.

The Government is attributing the tumble in the rural electrification
numbers to a recent revision in the criterion for declaring a village
electrified. As against the earlier norm of deeming a village electrified if
power was being used within the "revenue boundary of the village" for any
purpose, the Government has revised the criterion to a stricter three-point
stipulation from 2004-05. A village can now be declared electrified only if
basic infrastructure such as distribution transformers and lines is provided
in the locality; the number of electrified households is at least 10 per
cent of the total households and majority of public places in the village
have access to electricity.

According to the latest position, after the new definition kicked into
place, nearly 1,50,000 villages are still left to be electrified across
States, out of the estimated 5,86,000 villages in the country.

State-wise

The revised definition has considerably worsened the situation in States
such as Jharkhand, where 78 per cent of the villages are yet to be
electrified, Bihar (53 per cent villages) and UP (42 per cent villages).

Of the country's total rural households estimated at 138.27 million,
56.5per cent (
78.09 million households) are yet to get power, according to data till
December 2005. Way below the national average, Bihar has over 95 per cent of
rural households still to be electrified, Jharkhand has 90 per cent, and
Orissa 80.6 per cent.

A worrying aspect could be that the proportion of households going without
electricity in some of these States is much higher than the percentage of
unelectrified villages — for example in Bihar, while 53 per cent villages
are left to be electrified, 95 per cent of rural households are without
power. This could be a pointer to the fact that some of the larger villages,
having comparatively higher number of households, have probably been left
out of the electrification drive so far.

Also, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Kerala and Punjab are the only five States to
have 100 per cent village electrification in 2005 as against the 1991
census-based estimate of 11 States. The slippage has mainly been attributed
to the revised norms causing "marginal" gaps in target achievement. For
instance, Andhra Pradesh has just 48 villages yet to be electrified to reach
the 100 per cent mark, Nagaland has just 62 villages left while Sikkim has
45-odd villages left, according to Power Ministry data till December 2005.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Panel to streamline higher education in Bihar
Monday May 8 2006 00:00 IST

PTI

PATNA: With a view to streamlining higher education, Bihar government is
planning to set up a state council of higher education on the norms and
guidelines laid down in the National education policy.

Once the decision is taken, the three existing bodies - the Bihar State
University commission, Bihar College Service Commission and the Bihar
Inter-University Board - would be amalgamated to make way for the state
council of higher education, which is already successfully functioning in
many states, secretary, state human resource development department Dr M M
Jha told PTI on Sunday.

Jha said the move to prune the higher education system gained momentum after
the state administrative reforms commission strongly recommended having one
body instead of three for higher education.

The motive behind having the state council was to reduce the interference of
the department even in routine works of the universities like promotion and
appointment of teaching and non-teaching employees, Jha said. Sources in the
department said that governor Buta Singh as chancellor had also constituted
a committee headed by retired IAS officer I C Kumar, now the vice-chancellor
of Veer Kuer Singh university, to suggest changes in the Bihar universities
act and other aspects to streamline the functioning of the universities.

Keen on improving the standards of higher education in Bihar, the government
might bring a Bill for setting up the council, which is successfully
functioning in many other states, sources said.

Besides having administrative power, the proposed council will also have
financial powers. As in other states, once the council comes into being, it
will release grants and development funds after assessing the requirements
of the universities, as the government instead of directly funding the
universities will make available the funds to the council, the sources said.

At present, the universities are dependant on the government for everything,
which should not be the case, the sources said. After the constitution of
the panel for higher education, the role of the government would be confined
to just monitoring the administrative work, as the panel would work as the
nodal agency for higher education in the state.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sweet music to Nitish ears as sugar major chooses Bihar
Jai Prakash Yadav
Indian Express, May 6, 2006

Coimbatore-based Rajshree Sugars awaits state OK to invest Rs 480 crore for
two mills, ready with more; other firms also in queue

PATNA, MAY 4: Rekindling hope in India's heart of darkness, Coimbatore-based
sugar major Rajshree Sugars and Chemicals Ltd has chosen Bihar for its foray
into the north to set up two integrated sugar complexes.

The single-window State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) has already
received Detailed Project Reports (DPR) from Rajshree in this regard. The
company proposes to set up two integrated sugar complexes by investing a
total of Rs 480 crore in two Bihar districts: Rs 242 crore for the East
Champaran project and Rs 238 crore for the one in Madhubani.

Early next week, the company will file a DPR for another project in
Muzaffarpur district. Apart from the three new mills, Rajshree has also
applied for revival of three state-owned mills, now shut, in Madhubani,
Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur.

Rajshree's proposed mills will not only produce sugar but will help tide
over part of the power crisis in the state. Each of its two sugar mills will
have a minimum crushing capacity of 5,000 TCD (Tonnes Cane/Day) with
co-generation units, producing 30 MW of power each. They will also have a
distillery to produce ethanol.

"It's great news for Bihar. On May 2, the SIPB completed the first hearing
on the two project reports and forwarded it to different departments for the
feedback which has to come in 15 days," said Cane Development Minister
Nitish Mishra.

If the departments do not raise any objections, then the project will be
deemed to have been cleared. Rajshree is keen to start the projects at the
earliest. On behalf of the company, Dr M Naidu (Advisor, Research and
Development) has been camping in the state for the last two months. "We are
very happy with the response from the government and more than hopeful about
getting the clearance," he said.

In the DPR, Rajshree has urged the government to acquire and transfer the
land within 90 days as it proposes to commence operations from December,
2008. "If there is delay in land acquisition, commissioning of the project
will be shifted to the next season, depriving us of the incentives and
subsidies... without which the project may not be very attractive," the
proposal underlines.

Mishra is more than hopeful of early clearance. On incentives and subsidies,
he even hinted at a future revision to make it more competitive. "We are
even thinking on offering more incentives than UP, our nearest rival, to
attract more companies," Mishra told The Indian Express.

He said the proposal to revive 15 state-owned closed sugar mills is also
likely to take shape by this month-end. Already, a number of companies have
shown interest in acquiring these mills.

Of the 39 Expression of Interest from sugar companies wanting to set up new
sugar mills, 13 have taken concrete steps forward. They have filed the
Industrial Enterprise Memorandum (IEM) with the Centre's Industries
department. The IEM, in short, means the companies are really serious about
projects in the state. Some of the major names who have filed IEMs are Upper
Ganges, SKG, Radha Sugar and Rajshree. Dhampur Sugar, SCM and Ugar Sugar are
carrying out surveys in the state.

While only nine mills are working, sugar production in the state in 2005-06
has increased by 67 per cent—the highest in the country. Nearest rival UP
way behind with 15 per cent while the all-India increase is 45 per cent.

"The sugar crop was very good. In the mills, there's no dearth of canes for
crushing. It's an indication of the prospects for the industry in the
state," said Mishra.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Rajasthan, Bihar, Orissa to follow PPP model in health carenewkerala.com

Itanagar: Encouraged by the success of NGOs in running public
health<http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=53557#>centres
in Karnataka and Arunachal Pradesh, the governments of Rajasthan,
Bihar and Orissa have decided to replicate the public-private-partnership
(PPP) model to improve health
care<http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=53557#>
.

H Sudarshan, secretary of the Bangalore-based NGO Karuna Trust, said here
the central government was sponsoring 90 per cent cost of the PPP programme
in managing 16 PHCs in Arunachal Pradesh on the line of the Karnataka model.

The trust, which manages 30 PHCs in Karnataka and 16 in Arunachal Pradesh,
will provide expertise and guidance to the other states, he said.

While the Karnataka government provides 90 per cent of the cost of running
the PHCs in that state, the balance is contributed by Karuna Trust,
Sudarshan said. The trust, he said, will contribute Rs 20 lakh a year for
operating 16 PCHs in Arunachal
Pradesh<http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=53557#>
.

"Our aim is to run the PHCs for three-four years, improve their functioning
and gradually hand them over to local NGOs. We have recruited mostly local
doctors <http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=53557#> and
para-medical staff to run these PHCs," he said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he said, had agreed to
provide VSAT connections to these PHCs so that expert doctors could give online
advice <http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=53557#> and
analyse data of
patients<http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=53557#>in
far-flung areas on the sophisticated machines of their hospitals.

Voluntary organisations collect
donations<http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=53557#>to
contribute 10 per cent of the expenditure for running the PHCs, which
was
a "considerable amount", Sudarshan said.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

hello

On 4/8/06, prabhat kumar <kvtango@...> wrote:
>
> Patna Intellectual's Rally in Support of Megha Patekar
>
> On 7th April, 2006, a Rally was organised on roads of Patna by
> Intellectual people. Painters, People of slums ,Teachers,
> Journalists,Politicians and Social workers participated. A Memorandum to
> Goverenor was submitted to make an appeal for a respectful agreement between
> Indian Govt. and Megha Patekar. A solution to displacement is required.
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Blab-away for as little as 1�/min. Make  PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo!
> Messenger with Voice.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> To upload file to the group please send file to the moderator:
> kjrajesh@...
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

hello

On 4/27/06, vagish Jha <vagishkj@...> wrote:
>
> CHARTING A NEW COURSE
> George Fernandes's ouster as the president of JD(U) has begun a process of
> churning that can change political equations in Bihar, writes Sumanta Sen
> Telegraph, 27 April 2006
>
> Two's company
>
> It had to happen at some point of time. The continuation of George
> Fernandes
> as president of the Janata Dal (United) (which sees itself as a secular
> force) and, at the same time, his close ties with the Bharatiya Janata
> Party
> and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was always too much of a tight-rope
> walking. This was not quite liked by people like Nitish Kumar and Sharad
> Yadav. Now the latter has struck and Fernandes has been replaced by Yadav.
> And this perhaps has set in motion a process that may have long-term
> implications, not just for Fernandes as a person but also for the
> political
> life in the country.
>
> The ouster of Fernandes was presided by a couple of interesting
> developments. The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, has not made it a
> secret that he would be less than happy to welcome Lal Krishna Advani when
> the latter's rath enters the state. Unlike his predecessor, he is not
> expected to arrest Advani. At the same time, it needs to be noted that
> Nitish Kumar has aired his lack of interest at a time when the BJP is his
> coalition partner and a member of the party occupies the chair of the
> deputy
> chief minister.
>
> Not just that. The chief minister recently invited state Congress
> president,
> Sadanand Singh, to a meal. As things stand in the state, the Congress is a
> party of no account. Why did then Kumar take time off from his busy
> schedule
> to play host to Singh? In Patna, the explanation is that through his
> invitation, Kumar was seeking to send a message that noting is permanent
> in
> politics and his own secular credentials as a socialist should not be
> forgotten.
>
> So is some kind of a new equation in the offing? This possibility cannot
> be
> ignored, particularly as the man replacing Fernandes is Sharad Yadav. At
> the
> national level, Yadav has always had good relations with the left.
> Subsequent developments like the breaking away of Lalu Prasad, the split
> in
> the Janata Dal and the manoeuvrings of Fernandes saw the JD(U) as a member
> of the National Democratic Alliance. However, Sharad Yadav could never
> have
> been at home with the saffron brigade at an ideological level. Now he and
> Nitish Kumar may well have chosen to gradually steer the party along a new
> course.
>
> There is of course a personal angle also to the removal of Fernandes from
> office. Non-Congress formations in Bihar had to accommodate a non-Bihari
> just because of his position at the national level for far too long. Now
> it
> is being felt that the time has come for sons of the soil to assert
> themselves. Fernandes himself has questioned the manner of his removal and
> has hinted that he would not give up without a fight. But the fight will
> be
> basically in Bihar, and here the ageing man may find his opponents too
> strong for him. On the other hand, Fernandes may just choose to accept the
> reality in which case the BJP will find him to be a person without teeth
> and
> not worth towing along. The man, who has always organized things to his
> own
> advantage, may now have reached the end of the road.
>
> But if Fernandes is not of much worth in Bihar, the same cannot be said of
> Lalu Prasad. Nitish Kumar may dine with Sadanand Singh but Lalu Prasad
> continues to remain as his arch enemy. Here Kumar and Sharad Yadav have a
> clear gameplan. Distance the JD(U) from the BJP and at the same time,
> invite
> defections from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, many of whose members are still
> not comfortable sitting in the opposition. The BJP will not like the JD(U)
> getting stronger in the state but will not be able to complain. Then if
> Ram
> Vilas Paswan also chooses to follow suit, then the Kumar-Yadav-Paswan
> combination will become a force to reckon with in the state and even get a
> man like Lalu Prasad worried over the future.
>
> There is another individual to be taken into account. This is H.D. Deve
> Gowda, the former prime minister. Deve Gowda's son has seen to the
> collapse
> of the Congress-JD(S) ministry in Karnataka and has not been pulled up by
> daddy who is maintaining a low profile these days. His future as a
> politician lies in an unified Janata Dal, which is not aligned to the BJP.
> This seems to be the aim of the leaders in Bihar. If this happens, then
> Nitish Kumar may well feel emboldened to bring down his own ministry and
> opt
> for a mid-term poll, keeping both the BJP and the RJD out of his scheme of
> things. And the Congress on its part may not be averse to tying up with
> such
> a party as its 'secular' plank will not be compromised by the alliance. As
> for ditching Lalu Prasad, the Congress has shown in in the recent past
> that
> in Bihar ditching allies comes easy to the party.
>
> This will also please the left parties in the state. While the Communist
> Party Of India has made it clear that it wants to have nothing to do with
> Lalu Prasad, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also never been
> comfortable keeping the company of a man who has so many charges against
> him. Actually in Bihar, both the communist parties need shoulders to lean
> on, and the Kumar-Sharad Yadav combination minus the BJP is a better
> option
> than Lalu Prasad.
>
> The developments in the JD(U) can only be of concern to the BJP. At a time
> when the party is not exactly a happy family, it can ill afford to have an
> important ally showing signs of restlessness. This is particularly so
> because that ally has so far given it some credibility to the world
> outside
> the influence of the sangh parivar. True, the JD(U) is restricted
> essentially to Bihar but losing that one state must be seen in the context
> of the party's waning influence in Uttar Pradesh and its discomfort in
> Maharashtra because of the split in the Shiv Sena. The BJP leaders must
> also
> have taken note of the fact that Advani's rath yatra has taken off for
> sometime now but it has failed to create the ripples that were expected.
> In
> this context, the results of the assembly elections in five states would
> prove to be crucial for the party. These are weak states for the BJP, but
> if
> its dream of making even the slightest inroad fails to come true, then,
> who
> knows, the party may decide to go the whole hog for Hindutva. That may not
> really help matters as this would alienate the JD(U) further. Therefore,
> it
> is a catch-22 situation.
>
> How does the JD(U) factor influence the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's
> attempts to forge a third front? It doesn't, because none of the
> constituents of that proposed front are as vocal against the BJP as they
> are
> of the Congress. Also these parties do not exist in Bihar. It is another
> matter that in electoral terms, such a front will be meaningless as none
> of
> the parties will be able to transfer its votes to the other as they are
> strictly regional in character. A united Janata Dal on the other hand may
> turn out to be more relevant to larger parts of the country.
>
> Right now, the only thing that can cause Fernandes and the BJP to breathe
> easy is the falling out of Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav. This possibility
> cannot be dismissed as unlikely as socialists in this country have a long
> history of parting company with each other. This has ensured that there is
> no socialist party in the country. The followers of Jayaprakash Narayan
> are
> no exception to this as any observer of the Bihar situation must be aware.
> And the fact that Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav are the present rulers of
> Bihar cannot be taken as a guarantee against their falling out as Lalu
> Prasad Yadav was the chief minister when his parent party had suffered a
> split.
>
> How things turn out is yet to be seen. For the present, however, it cannot
> be denied that a process of churning has begun. Existing arrangements are
> showing signs that they will crack up. The status quo seems to be getting
> disturbed and some would say that this itself is a sign of health.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> To upload file to the group please send file to the moderator:
> kjrajesh@...
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi All,

Our efforts seems to be working out in a positive
manner. In a major development, A Major U.G.C.
recognised University in Bihar have shown interest to
start Post-Graduate Degree course in "Bhojpuri
language and literature" through distant education
system. You may know more at

http://www.bhojpuria.com/samachar/news.php?a=563

You may read more about admission procedure, career
options and other details at

http://www.bhojpuria.com/jump.php?page=education/index.htm

In case you want to know more or wish to apply for the
course, please fill-up the online enquiry form at

http://www.bhojpuria.com/samachar/maedu.php

Bhojpuria will look forward for comments from
everyone.

Sudhir Kumar
http://www.bhojpuria.com
Phone: + 91 - 9931182544, 9431111776




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Hi Nitin,

I will start from where you ended, writing e-mails
will not work, I agree with you... but not 100%, you
want ppl who can spend 2-3 months in Bihar to change
the image of Bihar, why dont you try to be the first
one... ???

Now, let us discuss about Image of Biharis, I agree
that a common Bihari image is about labours, this is
just because, the first migrants from the state were
labour-class people, who wanted to earn money by doing
anything (Selling vegitables, pulling rickshaw etc.),
but I feel like the image is changing now...

Well... regarding Bal Thakray, his Shivsena and the
changing Image/Importance of Bihar, please check the
link given below

http://www.bhojpuria.com/samachar/news.php?a=511

If you want, you may read more in bhojpuri at

http://www.bhojpuria.com/jump.php?page=vibhos/day3.htm

I agree that some Biharis are a bit bad in using the
language, should i show you examples in
marathi/tamil/punjabi communities ??? Each and every
culture have some people like that.

Now, come to the feeling of Greatness, yes we are
great, just because we are from Bihar. Its the same
land, which gave birh to Budhdha, Mahavir, Chanakya,
Kunwar Singh, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and many more... you
may read details at

http://www.bhojpuria.com/people/people.php

You might be bored by this old story, let me tell you
a new one, do you know Mahatma Gandhi ??? The father
of the Nation ??? M. K. Gandhi was never a leader in
Gujarat or Maharastra, he came to Champaran (Bihar)
and started his first movement... there is something
in this soil, which makes leaders like Mahatma Gandhi.
Correct me, if I am wrong...

So, who is responcible for spoiling the Image of Bihar
and Biharis ??? Media, Poliicians and WE... yes, if we
feel shy to introduce us as bihari, everyone will
think bihar can not have ppl who used to work in
calfornia (like you).

Last week, I was in Singapore... All the Bhojpuria
Community in Singapore (from Bihar/UP) celebrated an
evening together with Bhojpuri songs, dance, food and
a lot of fun... No one was trying to hide his/her
identity...

Looking forward for comments from everyone.

Sudhir Kumar
http://www.bhojpuria.com
Phone: + 91 - 9931182544, 9431111776





--- nitin chandra <nitin_srivastava_in@...>
wrote:

> Respected patrons of this group.
>
> I am a new member of this group, I read lof of
> things for and
> against biharis, I have been reading about Bihar
> since 3-4 years,
> before that It didnt matter much, as I was in my own
> world, living
> at Patna, but Once I stepped out of Bihar I came to
> know, what i am
> to myself and others outside Bihar.
>
> The condition is F&$%^*) pathetic, Once you utter
> you are a Bihari,
> either people are scared(we think we are great) or
> you are ridiculed.
> Writing articles and running Blog Spot wont help, I
> know one
> Bihareebabu (he calls himself like that), who runs a
> website too,
> listed people whofrom Bihar who are settled in
> differenct countries.
> when I contacted him and asked him is it going to
> help us he was
> agitated, there is lot of false hood in ourself. Is
> that going to
> help Biharis and Bihar?
>
> We say we give most no. of IAS, IPS, etc, How is
> that creating
> Industries, education,investment, law/order, etc,etc
> at Home. You go
> to places like Gurgaon, Rohtak,Hisar in Haryana;
> Mysore,Mangalore in
> Karnataka, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur in
> Maharastra..Baroda, Rajkot, etc
> places in Gujrat and your neighbouring UP, you will
> so much of
> development, and mind you these places are not
> capital, I was
> standing at a signal in Hisar at 12:00 midnight,
> signal showed red
> and 2-3 cars were standing, even though there was no
> one to come
> from the other side; I know its stupid  but you can
> sense the
> respect for Law, may be a few people follow that but
> it was evident.
> but in Bihar we take pride in breaking rules, Isnt
> it?
>
> Oh! I didnt say about myself, My name is Nitin
> chandra on this blog
> I read message about my sister Neetu Chandra, who is
> an actress, It
> was pleasant to read about her, thanks.I have done
> Masters in
> Communication Studies, with Specialisation in Video
> Production from
> University of Pune, have directed two short films
> and worked as an
> Asst. Director in Several Ad films. My first film
> was about Bihar
> Maharastra clash in 2003 for Railway in which many
> of our students
> were beaten up, manhadnled, abused, hurted both
> mentally and
> physically. reason :BIHARI.POOR UGLY BIHARI, WITH NO
> BACK UP AND
> BELONGING TO THE MOST WRETCHED STATE.Lalu is openly
> abused here by
> Bal Thackerays and etc, Its not that we love Lalu
> but afterall he
> represents us, and thats a real tragedy.
>
> We biharis are treated as clones of Lalu.
>
> I have stayed in delhi, Haryana, rajasthan, was born
> in Kanpur,
> lived in Bangalore, Chennai, Pune,Hyderabad and now
> in Mumbai.
>
> I have seen most of India, its interiors too, people
> know Laloo more
> than their own CMs or local MPs etc. We take pride
> and boast falsely
> for laloo being shrewd, I have seen Bihari studnets
> in Delhi Univ
> campus, talking the most boorish language with full
> volume and have
> this self image that people will be scared around,or
> will be
> entertained...I have seen girls running away from
> guys once they
> came to know he is a Bihari.
>
> NOW
>
> Writing all this will only make me feel little
> releived, as I am
> throwing out my anguish.
>
> BUT
>
> Has any one of have thought what should be done.
>
> I HAVE PLANS.
>
> If anyone interested in giving 1-2 months(start
> with) of their lives
> for Bihar then mail me on nitinchandra25@...
>
> If this takes off, we can bring atleast some change
> in Bihar, and
> when we die we wont die SELFISH (I was S/W Engineer
> at Sun Solaris
> and Teralogic in California) sounds good but its the
> most ugly thing
> if you act selfish and doesnt care)atleast by then
we
> would have done
> some thing for our land.
>
> Nitin Chandra.
> Mumbai.
>


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....................................................................

STAY IN TOUCH with documentary film issues in India via
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/docuwallahs2
....................................................................

Dear friends,

Docuwallahs2 member Dipti Kulkarni just send me a list of the
travelling Vatavaran Festival. It's my dream to host the same in Goa
around World Environment Day June 5, 2006.

Mr Joshi at the Goa Science Centre Panjim is keenly interested in
hosting the event, for some days around the June 5, 2006 World
Environment Day. By some lucky coincidence, there's a new auditorium at
the GSCP at Miramar, which is to be inaugurated sometime after mid-May.

Below is a list of films in plain-text format, which I'd like to share
with you.

These films are (mostly) the work of independent film-makers across
India, and tell a fascinating story about what's happening in various
parts of this diverse country. We hope this festival could boost
environmental concern in the state, which has seen a loss of its
earlier natural wealth and is already quite serious about green issues.
And who knows, it might even encourage some youngsters here to enter
the field of green film-making in the years ahead. (We have very few
filmmakers currently in Goa.)

Vatavaran 2005 was held late last year, by the Centre for Media Studies
in New Delhi. I had the opportunity to see some of the films and was
really impressed by both the quality and content of the same.

If interested in more details, contact Dipti dipti@...

Frederick "FN" Noronha, Journalist.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
S. No. Film’s Title Language Duration Subject Focus Film by
---------------------------------------------------------------------

1 A Shivalik Monsoon English 25 mins The film is about the
life of India’s most beautiful bird ‘The Paradise Flycatcher’
in the foothills of the Shivalik range. Rupin Dang

2 Eka  Nishpap Jiwacha Ant (Just Another Death) Marathi
(Dubbed In English) 24 mins, 40 secs The film chronicles the
unintentional but unfortunate deaths of snakes caused by
vehicular traffic Vilas Kane

3 Elephant - God Or Destroyer English with English Subtitles
30 mins Elephants God or Destroyer is about the life and
times of Indian elephants.  It brings the man- animal
conflict to the small screen and juxtaposes it with the
reverence of elephant as God Krishnendu Bose and Rajiv
Mehrotra

4 Indian Leopards-The Killing Fields English 52 mins, 40 secs
The film deals with the issue of Leopard-Human conflict in
India and associated Research Praveen Singh

5 Kanha-Protecting A Paradise English 17 mins, 30 sec The
role of forest guards in protecting wildlife reserves and the
hardships they face. Shekar Dattatri

6 Leopards of Bollywood English 47 min The Man-Animal
conflict is the focus of the film which tells the frightening
story of the leopards in Mumbai Animitra Chakravarti and
Niret Alva and Nikhil J Alva

7 Living With Giants English with English Subtitles 50 mins,
5 secs Relationship between man and elephant, the enormous
challenges faced by both in coexisting, in a changing world
and the efforts of project elephant in conserving this
flagship species. Ashish and Shanthi Chandola

8 The Jaws Of Death English 18 mins Plight of the wildlife of
Kaziranga National Park who fell victims to the vehicular
traffic on the 37NH during flood season Gautam Saikia

9 The Last Flight English 24 min 10 sec The Last Flight
nailed the mystery killer- vetenary drug Diclofenac and made
a bold effort to save the Asian vultures. Nutan Manmohan

10 Vultures: Death Watch English 47 mins Death Watch explores
the disappearance of vultures in the Indian sub-continent and
its impact on the communities dependant on it. Niret & Nikhil
J Alva and Pria Somiah (Supervising Producer)

11 Wild India 24 Hours English 13 mins This innovative
programme concept allows us to explore the documentary medium
in a fresh light, while making a timeless and fantastic
journey thorough the heart of wilderness India. Rupin Dang

12 Panna - Jewel of Central India English 15 mins The film
set in the central Vindhyan plateau explores the wildlife and
ecosystem of the Panna Tiger Reserve. Shekar Dattatri

13 The Policing Langur English with English subtitles 30 mins
The film captures the colourful vista of man-monkey
relationship and how the Policing Langurs are used to control
monkey menace. Ajay & Vijay Bedi and Public Service
Broadcasting Trust

14 Invocations to the Mountain Goddess English with Subtitles
1 hrs, 3 mins, 50 secs The film deals with issues in
Biosphere resource conservation and Management using the
Nanda Devi biosphere reserve as a case study. Christopher
Rego

15 Vikas Bandook Ki Naal Se (Development Flows From The
Barrel Of The Gun) Hindi with Subtitles 54 mins The film
documents the state violence on the people affected by
development projects in the country and calls for a more
sustainable development that is "not at the cost of people".
Biju Toppo and Meghnath

16 Shadows of Tehri Hindi and English with subtitles 44 mins,
.32 secs This is a film tracing the history of a submerged
town of old Tehri in Uttarnchal Anirban Datta and Department
of Culture, Govt. of Uttaranchal

17 Devta Activists Hindi and English with subtitles 28 mins
The film "Devta Activists" seeks to explore the role of
traditional institutions such as Devtas (Deities) in
conservation of natural resources. Sanjay Barnela and Rajiv
Mehrotra

18 A Second Hand Life Hindi and English (with subtitles) 26
mins, 26 secs A Second Hand Life gives an insight into the
electronic waste business, a dark side of digital age and its
impact on environment and human health leading to
environmental crisis in India. Nutan Manmohan and Public
Service Broadcasting Trust

19 River Taming Mantras Hindi & English with subtitles 30
mins "River Taming Mantras" explores the technological,
economical and political rationale that underlies the
adoption of flood control measures. Sanjay Barnela, Vasant
Saberwal, Moving Images

20 The Source of Life For Sale English with subtitles 58 mins
Impact of privatization of water in India. K P Sasi and Ajit
Muricken

21 The Way To Dusty Death English and Hindi with subtitles 28
mins The film is an account of victims of Silicosis in the
Agate grinding industry in Kambath & near by villages of
Gujarat. Syed Fayaz and Rajiv Mehrotra

22 Dance with Hands Held Tight Local Indian Languages With
Subtitles 62 mins This Film is about women and the politics
of their natural resource based livelihoods. Krishnendu Bose,
Earthcare Film

23 The Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh ENGLISH with subtitles 54
mins The film is about the Apatani tribes of Arunchal
Pradesh, which is environmentally conscious, and practices
environmental conservation. Anu Malhotra and Iqbal Malhotra

24 Victims of Garbage Dump Hindi with English subtitles 10
mins Through Rabia, an eight year old girl from the Bhalaswar
slum of Delhi, the story focuses on the cycle of poverty,
illness and deprivation that mars a population that makes a
living out of sorting garbage at Delhi’s largest garbage
dump.  It depicts the life of people in this garbage dump
slum area. Plan India

25 Waterworks India : Four Engineers and a Manager English 22
mins This 22 minutes documentary takes viewer to meet five
unsung people, who have kept the intricate traditional
science of water management alive from the modern onslaught.
The documentary introduces the viewers with the technique as
well as the social management practices governing it. Pradip
Saha, Executive Director, Centre for Science & Environment

26 A Brush With Death English 16 mins This film also
documents illegal procurement and sale of mongoose hair on
which thrives the paint brush-making industry. As a result of
which the mongoose is brutally killed and is on the brink of
being declared extinct. Yet it is placed fairly low in the
hierarchy of protected animals in India being listed in the
Schedule IV of the Wild Life Protection Act.  Syed Fayaz, RGB
Films and Wildlife Trust of India

27 Ragi: Kana: Ko: Bonga Buru (Buddha Weeps in Jadugoda)
Santhali, Hindi with English subtitles 55 mins The film
attempt to record how the lives of the people of Jadugoda
have been turned into a veritable hell by UCIL and depict the
gross misuse of power by the authority in displacing the
original inhabitants in the region, their utter lack of
concern for internationally accepted norms and safety
precautions in the handling of uranium and its by products
and their callousness of its disastrous impact in the people
and the region Shriprakash

28 Global Warning! English 20 mins Global Warning! Focuses on
the dangers of climate change.  Ramesh Menon and TERI

29 Hunting Down Water English 32 mins Hunting down water
looks at the conflicting uses of water in our everyday lives
– both rural and urban. Sanjay Barnela and Vasant Saberwal,
Moving Images

30 Unquiet Flows the Chaliyar English 37 mins Unquiet Flows
the Chaliyar is an attempt to chronicle the longest drawn out
environmental struggle in India. The film documents the death
and destruction of the river Chaliyar - Kerala’s second
largest river due to industrial pollution.  Sridevi Mohan and
Sanjay Mohan

31 In God's Own Country English 28 mins This is the story of
Kasaragode, Kerala known as 'God’s Own Country' and tells the
story of a community that refuses to leave its ancestral home
but instead stays to fight for it’s basic right to pure air
and water. Rajani Mani & Nina Subramani, Elephant Corridor
Films

32 Spandan Hindi 75 secs The subject focus of this animation
film is "Don’t pollute rivers". Vinay Rai & Meenakshi Rai,
Leoarts Communication

33 Words on Water  English 1 hr 25 mins  A boat carrying the
cargo of defiance begins an urgent journey through the
Narmada valley. For more than 15 years, people of the valley
have resisted a series of massive dams on their river, and in
their struggle have exposed the deceptive heart of India’s
development politics. ‘Words on Water’ is about the sustained
non-violent resistance, that almost joyous defiance, which
empowers the people as they struggle for their rights, yet
saves them from the ultimate humiliation of violence.  Sanjay
Kak, Octave Communications Pvt. Ltd.

34 The Ridley's Last Stand English 45 min 30 secs The
Ridley's Last Stand is a poignant look at the lives and times
of the olive ridley and provides new insights into the
natural history and conservation of these mysterious
creatures. The conservation of the ridley will directly lead
to the conservation of all marine resources. Shekar Dattatri

35 Rainwater Harvesting Hindi/English 1 min 30 secs This
public service advertisement is to promote rainwater
harvesting as the lesson from the past, which provides us the
solution for the future. The spot revolves around the concept
of catching rain in a neighbourhood, creating a cascading
effect.  Nandita Das & Saumya Sen

36 Birds Through My Window English 18 mins The month of May-
the time just before the monsoons break in, is the month of
nesting and a month in which all the birds suddenly came to
life, for me. Making this film during my summer vacations
opened my eyes to a whole new world of feathery creatures and
I realized that just by being a little more observant and
attentive to our surroundings we can have so much company and
so much more fun. It was a thrilling experience to find that
ours was not the only home in this compound. The film
documents this experience of finding a few of the many homes
and many families which were present near my house, many of
which I could see right through my window. My brother and I,
we built many birds’ trays and installed them all around our
house. We put food on it every day and observed each and
every bird that came and sat on it. We found many nests, and
we also found out how difficult life is in the wild, how
every thing is inter related- the birds the animals and the
seasons. There is a delicate web of life and we human beings
should not disturb it. Rudransh Mathur

37 Whose Water English 26 mins This film explores the notion
of state ownership of natural resources. In India the state
owns all natural resources unless otherwise decreed. This is
a story about Rajasthan where 1000 villages have been
revolutionized by bringing backwater into their life. Tarun
Bharat Sangh, a motley group of people, headed by Rajender
Singh acted as a catalyst and inspiration for the communities
and galvanized them to revive their traditional water
harvesting system. Dry rivers were revived and communities’
general economic well being swelled. It sounds like a fairy
tail and the results are almost like one! Krishendu Bose,
Earthcare Films

38 Troubled Waters English 16 mins The film tells the story
of the coral reefs of the Lakshadweep islands. It explains
how this vital ecosystem came into being and traces the
growth and diversity of the reef and the factors that
contribute to its health and well-being. The main thrust of
the film is to show how all of nature is inter-connected and
inter-dependent.  The film enjoins all people to live in a
manner that will help to conserve and safeguard the world’s
natural resources for the future of mankind. The film was
also awarded “The Best of the Festival” Vatavaran 2003. Reef
Watch Marine Conservation

39 Kalpavriksha  - The Legacy of Forests English 26 min 55
secs This film traces the evolution and discovery of
medicinal plants and tribal wisdom in India to show how
historically and culturally they have been an integral part
of India.  Mike H. Pandey, Riverbank Studio

40 Magic of Life English 6 min 29 secs Compassion and love
are the main themes of the film. The marvelous and magical
world of creation and the intricate threads that bind all
living beings are the few things it touches upon, with the
intention to teach, a simple lesson in life. This film is
meant for the younger generation.  Gautam Pandey, Riverbank
Studio

41 Shores of Silence - Whale Sharks in India English 24 mins
Shores Of Silence recipient of Green Oscar/Panda Awards at
Wildscreen Festival Bristol, U.K., in the year 2000-01
questions the rationale behind the mindless slaughter of a
special marine species already at stake because of its slow
regeneration. The aim is to eventually help create policies
to ban whale shark trade in India and find sustainable
alternatives for the local fishing community. This is the
first ever documentation of the massacre of whale sharks on
the Indian coast. Mike H. Pandey, Riverbank Studio

42 Timeless Traveller  - The horseshoe Crab English 11 min 38
secs The Horseshoe Crab is one of the most unique animals
that the earth has ever witnessed. It emerged from the oceans
562 million years ago and has survived unchanged. If the
situation is not carefully managed, the risk of adversely
affecting the horseshoe crab population becomes a certainty.
It has to be ensured that the crabs used in the making of
valuable and life-saving medicines are handled with care and
respect. A stable horseshoe crab population is vitally
important not only to the biomedical community, but also to
the survival of mankind. Only sound and scientifically based
conservation measures will ensure a sustainable population
for the future and allow humans to reap the benefits of this
most unique marine creature.  Gautam Pandey, Riverbank Studio

43 Lions of Gir English 52 mins ‘Lions of Gir’ is a story of
the coexistence of the last surviving Asiatic lions and the
Maldhari people’s tribe in the forests of Gir in Western
India. The film also showcases the intricate ecosystem of Gir
and the drama that is played out as seasons change and the
cycle of life unfolds. Nikhil Alva and Niret Alva, Miditech
Pvt. Ltd.

44 The Many Faces of Madness English 19 mins The film with
its images of contemporary ecological destruction in India
brings people face to face with the intensity and impact of
globalization and industrialization, of commerce and greed,
as it travels through images from different parts of Indian,
revealing glimpses of traditional water harvesting systems,
mining, chemical pollution, community forest protection,
displacement, deforestation, biopiracy and ecosystems.  Amar
Kanwar, A K Productions

45 King Cobra English 53 mins This film explores the natural
history of this remarkable snake through the jungles of
Kerala.  Romulus Earl Whitaker

46 Spunky Monkey English 38 min 30 secs This film documents
the behaviour and adaptability of one of India’s most
charming primates-the bonnet macaque. From and educational
and conservation standpoint, this film will enable people to
see how some wild animals can and do adapt to changing
environments, even an urban situation! Romulus Earl Whitaker,
Draco Films

47 Nagarahole- Tales from an Indian Jungle English 52 mins
‘Nagarahole – Tales from an Indian Jungle’ is a
conservation-oriented natural history film that graphically
captures the changing seasons of the forest, and the hidden
dramas that go on within it. Shekar Dattatri, Eco Media (P) Ltd

48 Rhino - The Indian Unicorn Hindi/ English 24 mins The film
is about the Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros in the
Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Bedi Films

49 Miles to Go English 58 mins This is the story of India’s
forgotten backyards, of people brushed under the carpet of
indifference and apathy; a story of individuals fighting all
odds for their basic rights – a story of a thousand
revolutions in a thousand Bhopal. Greenpeace India

50 Aftershocks : The Rough Guide to Democracy English 64 mins
Lignite Mining/Sustainable Development/ People's Rights
Rakesh Sharma,

CPI-ML takes Bihar government to task over probe report
           Tuesday May 2 2006 00:00 IST    IANS
             PATNA: The Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML) has
demanded the dismissal of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi after a
probe report suggested that Modi and several other ruling coalition leaders had
links with the Ranvir Sena, an upper caste militia.

The CPI-ML also demanded a public apology from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for
winding up the Justice Amir Das Commission into the political connections of the
Ranvir Sena.

The demands come in the wake of leakage of portions of the report in the media.

The CPI-ML had questioned the Bihar government's move when it wrapped up the Das
commission in the first week of April when it was conducting its final hearings
and was close to preparing the final report.

"We demand immediate dismissal of Modi and a public apology from Nitish Kumar
for misleading people over dissolving the commission," the CPI-ML leader
Ramjatan Sharma told IANS Monday.

Last month, relatives of victims of the infamous Laxmanpur-Bathe massacre of
1997 staged a 48-hour fast here led by the CPI-ML and threatened to launch a
massive agitation in rural Bihar to "expose the Nitish Kumar government's bid to
protect the interests of the Ranvir Sena and suppress the voice of poorest of
the poor".

"We will not sit silent but continue to protest till the government decides to
revive the Amir Das Commission," Sharma declared.

IANS had first broken the story in April, soon after the commission was wrapped
up, that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi and former BJP
president Murli Manohar Joshi were among the 450 witnesses that deposed before
commission.

The commission had summoned nearly 40 politicians including Modi, BJP leader
C.P. Thakur, former state Congress president Ram Jatan Sinha, now in the Lok
Janshakti Party, union Minister of State for Agriculture Akilesh Singh from the
Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal-United's (JD-U) Sunil Pandey - all upper
caste Bhumihars.

Ramjatan Sharma said the chief minister's stand that the decision to wind up the
commission was taken last year during president's rule by then governor Buta
Singh, was a blatant lie. "He should seek a public apology because he wound up
the commission to protect his ally BJP and its leaders, including Modi, and his
own JD-U leaders, who figured in the probe report."

The commission was set up in 1997 after 59 Dalits, including 26 women and 19
children - some under 10 years of age - were killed by armed Ranvir Sena men on
Dec 1 in Laxmanpur-Bathe village in Jehanabad district that year.


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wish had an idea about this fest. this could hav been an interesting story.
   Shilpi

Rajesh Jha <kjrajesh@...> wrote:
   Festival of Alternative Voices

Frank Krishner
courtesey: bihartimes.com

Patna: A Dalit woman sanitary worker from Tamil Nadu goes about her task of
scraping human excreta off a back-street in Chennai while audience is
dismayed. Some fidget, others shake their heads in disbelief, some feel
nauseated for the first few minutes of the film. They are allowed no
respite, for after 23 minutes of being forced to watch a street covered with
human dung in , they are bombarded with Vandemataram - but this time A.R.
Rehman's popular version is not coated with the saccharine visuals of India
shining, instead it's a salute to the thousands of dalits in all our cities
who collect and dispose of the human waste that the rest of the country
merrily deposits all over the place. It's a 'Ma Tujhe salaam' [Mother, we
salute you] to the real people who struggle to keep India clean : those who
clean drains, public toilets, sanitary tanks� At the end of a harrowing half
an hour watching Tamil independent film maker Amudhan KP's work, there is a
silence, and then the audience applauds � without a doubt, they say, it is
one of the best films they have seen that day.

Abhivyakti 2006 - the Bihar Low-cost Video festival, organised every two
years by Ravi Bharati, the regional audio visual institute of the Catholic
Church in Patna - is both a platform for student film-makers to exhibit
their work and an opportunity for people to access alternative documentaries
made on several grass-roots issues by experienced film-makers. In the past
the festival has premiered a series of disturbing films that went on to
raise public consciousness and win international awards. From showcasing the
first feature film in the Kokborok language of Aruncahal which dealt with
women being killed as witches, to giving a space to film maker Sri Prakash
to screen his film on the Jadugoda radiation issue, [both films went on to
win awards at alternative festivals], the Ravi Bharati festival continuously
brings to the fore voices from the margins of society., and this festival
which comes to a close on Saturday continues the tradition.

Dr. Doris D'Souza, Principal, Patna Women's College, in her inaugural
address, stressed the importance of the mass media and advocated the
inclusion of the most marginalised in the media agenda. Films made by
students from the Department of Communicative English with Media studies of
Patna Women's College are also part of the festival. The tone of the
festival was set with a short film Unchuye a sketch of the Musahar
Community, one of the most backward in Bihar.

Chairman of the Bihar Film Development Corporation and president of Patna
Cine Society R.N. Dash, speaking at the festival on Friday, said that Ravi
Bharati was the only institution in Bihar that has consistently held a
festival for documentary films and low cost films since 1995.

This year, among other films of note, the festival looks at male sex workers
with Happy Hookers a new film by Asish Sawhney of Mumbai, the Adivasi
workers in the tea gardens of the North-east in Biju Toppo's award winning
Kora Rajee [the first tribal language film to win the Silver Conch at MIFF
2006], and Ashwin Pankaj's film Tata land Mines on the ongoing fight of the
tribal people to retain their lands from being grabbed by Mining
Corporations. Student films on a variety of issues have pride of place in
the festival and attract appreciation and comment.

[the author is Convenor, Abhivyakti 2000]


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



To upload file to the group please send file to the moderator:
kjrajesh@...
Yahoo! Groups Links









---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear rajesh bhai
Ap kaha hai aur ajkal kya kar rahe hai? biharchintan group me apka kam
sachmuch sarahniya hai.
Lalbahadur
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rajesh Jha" <kjrajesh@...>
To: "Bihar Chintan" <biharchintan@...>
Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 7:35 AM
Subject: [biharchintan] Festival of Alternative Voices


Festival of Alternative Voices

Frank Krishner
courtesey: bihartimes.com

Patna: A Dalit woman sanitary worker from Tamil Nadu goes about her task of
scraping human excreta off a back-street in Chennai while audience is
dismayed. Some fidget, others shake their heads in disbelief, some feel
nauseated for the first few minutes of the film. They are allowed no
respite, for after 23 minutes of being forced to watch a street covered with
human dung in , they are bombarded with Vandemataram - but this time A.R.
Rehman's popular version is not coated with the saccharine visuals of India
shining, instead it's a salute to the thousands of dalits in all our cities
who collect and dispose of the human waste that the rest of the country
merrily deposits all over the place. It's a 'Ma Tujhe salaam' [Mother, we
salute you] to the real people who struggle to keep India clean : those who
clean drains, public toilets, sanitary tanks. At the end of a harrowing half
an hour watching Tamil independent film maker Amudhan KP's work, there is a
silence, and then the audience applauds . without a doubt, they say, it is
one of the best films they have seen that day.

Abhivyakti 2006 - the Bihar Low-cost Video festival, organised every two
years by Ravi Bharati, the regional audio visual institute of the Catholic
Church in Patna - is both a platform for student film-makers to exhibit
their work and an opportunity for people to access alternative documentaries
made on several grass-roots issues by experienced film-makers. In the past
the festival has premiered a series of disturbing films that went on to
raise public consciousness and win international awards. From showcasing the
first feature film in the Kokborok language of Aruncahal which dealt with
women being killed as witches, to giving a space to film maker Sri Prakash
to screen his film on the Jadugoda radiation issue, [both films went on to
win awards at alternative festivals], the Ravi Bharati festival continuously
brings to the fore voices from the margins of society., and this festival
which comes to a close on Saturday continues the tradition.

Dr. Doris D'Souza, Principal, Patna Women's College, in her inaugural
address, stressed the importance of the mass media and advocated the
inclusion of the most marginalised in the media agenda. Films made by
students from the Department of Communicative English with Media studies of
Patna Women's College are also part of the festival. The tone of the
festival was set with a short film Unchuye a sketch of the Musahar
Community, one of the most backward in Bihar.

Chairman of the Bihar Film Development Corporation and president of Patna
Cine Society R.N. Dash, speaking at the festival on Friday, said that Ravi
Bharati was the only institution in Bihar that has consistently held a
festival for documentary films and low cost films since 1995.

This year, among other films of note, the festival looks at male sex workers
with Happy Hookers a new film by Asish Sawhney of Mumbai, the Adivasi
workers in the tea gardens of the North-east in Biju Toppo's award winning
Kora Rajee [the first tribal language film to win the Silver Conch at MIFF
2006], and Ashwin Pankaj's film Tata land Mines on the ongoing fight of the
tribal people to retain their lands from being grabbed by Mining
Corporations. Student films on a variety of issues have pride of place in
the festival and attract appreciation and comment.

[the author is Convenor, Abhivyakti 2000]


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



To upload file to the group please send file to the moderator:
kjrajesh@...
Yahoo! Groups Links

couldn't find your attachment.
Lalbahadur
----- Original Message -----
From: "Singh Bajrang" <poornashram@...>
To: <noba-all@...>; "Bihar Chintan" <biharchintan@...>
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 9:18 AM
Subject: [biharchintan] Fw: Pl do read


>
>
> Note: forwarded message attached.
>
> Lt. Col. (Retd.) Bajrang Bihari Singh
> Sec-5, Plot - 452
> Vaishali, Ghaziabad
> U.P.
> Phone- 0120-2772949
>
> ---------------------------------
> Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls.  Great
> rates starting at 1&cent;/min.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> To upload file to the group please send file to the moderator:
> kjrajesh@...
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

Friends:

You would have seen some cross posts on the topic of Patna Rice earlier this
week by TV Sinha jee and also his
article<http://www.patnadaily.com/features/patna_rice.html>on
Patnadaily.com. Would recommend all to visit many of the links & articles in
the article and would be pleasantly shocked at the level of awareness about
Patna Rice and premium status it has in eyes of many connoisseurs.

We had a discussion this weekend and came to a conclusion that we should
take this forward. Since it is an idea based project, we should be able to
take this forward without ruffling feathers. Also, the impact in terms of
economic benefits to the farming community and trading community could be
immense. Besides, it would also be a step in the rebranding of Bihar and
Patna.

Goal
"Getting Patna Rice registered as a Geographical Indicator". This means
getting an area around Patna identified as the producer of the grain to
qualify as Patna Rice.

As sub goals, we could have identification of the specification of the rice
grain to be called Genuine Patna and improve the price realisation to our
farmers by say 10 percentage point year on year.

Why This Project
This project has some intellectually property/Idea/Branding component
vis-a-vis many Infrastructure heavy projects. Hence some of us specially in
the Corporate world feel could add value by grouping together as a team.


How
We aim at putting together a team of functional experts with expertise in
Intellectual Property, Trading, Agri-business, Branding, Event Management
and also some prominent personalities in India/Bihar govt, Media etc. We
would need to organize some awareness programs, meetings/function is India
and outside to propagate the Patna Rice. Also some primary & secondary
research would be needed to explore the current & potential market size,
form a non-profit body to register, own, promote and protect the brand
(Geographic Indicator)

This will require lot of hard work and efforts without any direct commercial
benefit to any of us except the sense of pride & satisfaction from
contributing towards our beloved Bihar & Patna. We also aim at having
regular online and telephonic meetings to execute on this project.

Does it sound interesting or ring a bell in your heart. If so please
subscribe to an egroup created towards this mission,
patna_rice@yahoogroups.com. Do send a mailer to
subscribe-patna_rice@yahoogroups.com with a brief intro of yours or  send a
mail to atul.kumar@... or tv_sinha@....

Also if you feel any of your friends, seniors, relatives, contacts can be
helpful in this regard then do connect to us.


Regards
Thakur Vikas Sinha
Powai, Mumbai
Atul Kumar
Danbury,CT


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Festival of Alternative Voices

Frank Krishner
courtesey: bihartimes.com

Patna: A Dalit woman sanitary worker from Tamil Nadu goes about her task of
scraping human excreta off a back-street in Chennai while audience is
dismayed. Some fidget, others shake their heads in disbelief, some feel
nauseated for the first few minutes of the film. They are allowed no
respite, for after 23 minutes of being forced to watch a street covered with
human dung in , they are bombarded with Vandemataram - but this time A.R.
Rehman's popular version is not coated with the saccharine visuals of India
shining, instead it's a salute to the thousands of dalits in all our cities
who collect and dispose of the human waste that the rest of the country
merrily deposits all over the place. It's a 'Ma Tujhe salaam' [Mother, we
salute you] to the real people who struggle to keep India clean : those who
clean drains, public toilets, sanitary tanks� At the end of a harrowing half
an hour watching Tamil independent film maker Amudhan KP's work, there is a
silence, and then the audience applauds � without a doubt, they say, it is
one of the best films they have seen that day.

Abhivyakti 2006 - the Bihar Low-cost Video festival, organised every two
years by Ravi Bharati, the regional audio visual institute of the Catholic
Church in Patna - is both a platform for student film-makers to exhibit
their work and an opportunity for people to access alternative documentaries
made on several grass-roots issues by experienced film-makers. In the past
the festival has premiered a series of disturbing films that went on to
raise public consciousness and win international awards. From showcasing the
first feature film in the Kokborok language of Aruncahal which dealt with
women being killed as witches, to giving a space to film maker Sri Prakash
to screen his film on the Jadugoda radiation issue, [both films went on to
win awards at alternative festivals], the Ravi Bharati festival continuously
brings to the fore voices from the margins of society., and this festival
which comes to a close on Saturday continues the tradition.

Dr. Doris D'Souza, Principal, Patna Women's College, in her inaugural
address, stressed the importance of the mass media and advocated the
inclusion of the most marginalised in the media agenda. Films made by
students from the Department of Communicative English with Media studies of
Patna Women's College are also part of the festival. The tone of the
festival was set with a short film Unchuye a sketch of the Musahar
Community, one of the most backward in Bihar.

Chairman of the Bihar Film Development Corporation and president of Patna
Cine Society R.N. Dash, speaking at the festival on Friday, said that Ravi
Bharati was the only institution in Bihar that has consistently held a
festival for documentary films and low cost films since 1995.

This year, among other films of note, the festival looks at male sex workers
with Happy Hookers a new film by Asish Sawhney of Mumbai, the Adivasi
workers in the tea gardens of the North-east in Biju Toppo's award winning
Kora Rajee [the first tribal language film to win the Silver Conch at MIFF
2006], and Ashwin Pankaj's film Tata land Mines on the ongoing fight of the
tribal people to retain their lands from being grabbed by Mining
Corporations. Student films on a variety of issues have pride of place in
the festival and attract appreciation and comment.

[the author is Convenor, Abhivyakti 2000]


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

wow

This is very welcome news.

I had read about a book by Anand Yang which talked about the bazars of Bihar in
the 18th and 19th century. Mot of us are also aware of the many melas in Bihar,
including the very famous harihar kshetra ka mela. Unfortunately, while states
like Rajasthan could evolve with the times and Pushkar mela became world famous,
we continued to languish.

Hope this becomes just the beginning of many many such good things

biharchintan@... wrote: There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

       1. Patna Haat, export promotion of fruits, handicrafts from Bihar
            From: Singh Bajrang



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
    Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 21:28:29 -0700 (PDT)
    From: Singh Bajrang

Subject: Patna Haat, export promotion of fruits, handicrafts from Bihar

http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/30/stories/2006043015410500.htm

Patna Haat, export promotion of fruits, handicrafts from Bihar: Jairam
Special Correspondent
                                                            State Government has
already earmarked two acres of land in Patna for the new handicrafts bazaar







Thakur Vikas Sinha
Powai, Mumbai.

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]