It is the fifth day of the week. Thursday. A day for which thousands in Bihar await. For others its just an another day, for them it holds hope, faith, reliance, assurance, optimism.

Bihar awakes?.

This day the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar meets them, hears them, heals them—at his Janata durbar.

He does it on Monday too. The very second day of the week. Tuesday, he reserved for his party workers.

Its ten in the morning on last Thursday and the policemen in plainclothes at the renovated cement-white gate of 1, Anne Marg asks for few paces and then right turn to slither soon left and then few paces again to reach the big banyan tree swaying modestly with scores of knotted, braid sorrel roots vying to outgrow each other to touch the ground.

And, there the humming activities surges through the deafening silence of a CM’s bungalow.

All the six hundred faded cobalt blue plastic chairs have been tightly occupied—three rows in one newly constructed hall and two in a long open space covered with white sheet on the roof. Two times more are jostling one another outside at the gate peeping anxiously for their turn.

All they wear are the briny-soaked shirt-saree, inscrutable scowls, forlorn look--- and loads of grief. All they have is pale, white sheet of paper in hand. Some have fatty files and dailypaper clippings also.

For all there is a place, though some unlucky ones keep standing back of those in chair. Caste, class, colour, creed careens kaput here. No discrimination, no (chosen) elimination.

Politics takes a backseat. Former Boss—of the house and the state as well—watching from behind, 10 Circular Road.

Secularism seemingly peaks to get orgasmic state of fine art here in Kumar’s Janata durbar. Erected to shoot straight; hit at the point; fair play and justice to the satisfaction.

We’ve heard JD-U stands for social justice…. and, secularism.

In between hope floats, faith reigns, reliance comes, assurance augurs and optimism soars.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar comes in. Wearing the usual expensive smile, white chic kurta-payjama---not with loose strings like his predecessor--- trademark silvery mane and moustache and peeper-salt shampooed hair he goes straight to his business.

Flanked with usual faces of babus and sahebs, guards in plainclothes and a handful of camera persons shooting straight at his face Nitish Kumar enters first to the long space covered with white clothes over head.

Those sitting in the hall can wait.

He takes first paper from the first person, the man wants to apprise him verbally, Nitish Kumar goes through the paper with lightening speed, hands it over to the concerned officer and moves ahead. Takes second paper, goes through it and calls the IG-headquarter, Anil Sinha and directs him to act upon it.

He slithers past from complainant to complainant giving necessary directions to the officers present or sometime keeping the papers in hand.

Suddenly, he stops to a sobbing lady and goes through her pale paper. Seconds after he was on line with the superintendent of police of a neighbouring district. The chief minister asks him about the case and orders him to look at it--- and report to him also.

He moves ahead. Beads of sweat crowd at his forehead.

Now he is before some students who were discriminated in an Uttar Pradesh examination on grounds of, what they complained, being a Bihari. Frowns writ large, deep creases appear with silvery spectacle slides inched below, he asks them to wait. The special secretary to CM, meanwhile, goes to his office, had a talk with the UP officials and retuned with a positive note to the harassed students.

Work being done. Then and There. At the spot.

A pile of paper now gets weighty for the chief minister’s sweaty hand. The white kurta-payjama gets sweat patches at back and armpits. However, the smile remains at his face.

Now, Nitish Kumar enters into hall. Here mostly women had occupied the seat. Heat and humidity get harsher here. The Bajaj fans overhead whirring full speed to get some relief but the chief minister often rubs his face and nose to remove the falling droplets of salty water in line.

Same repeated here---papers taken, instructions given, orders passed over cell phone ---but once expression of inability to cross the boundary line too.

Sometime he gets irritated, sometime bemused; sometime he advises, sometime explains but most of the time maintains his cool.

Most of the complaints, though, relate with the law and order problem but people generally come with all kinds of grievances, admits the secretary, CM, RCP Sinha.

The state police chief too is present but seemingly out of place. Present for presence sake. Utterly failed to match the steps of his master he always looks for a vacant chair to sit and relax. But loves to give byte to local private news channels and likes to talk with them in a more than friendly way.

The CM even looks for the IG [headquarter] if gets any law & order complaint, not the DGP saheb.

Two of the young IPS officers Paras Nath and O N Bhaskar and some other state officials are quite busy in disposing off the papers handed over to them by the chief minister.

The state secretary of grievance cell, Giriji always keeps himself busy within the hands reach of the chief minister and does the paper work in a meticulous way.

The Public Relation Officer K K Updhayay and his colleague are busy noting whatever the chief minister says worth of becoming a news item next day. They write faster than they wink their eyes.

Meanwhile, the hall gets deserted and all the six hundred plastic chairs get vacant. Its time now for another batch of six hundred to come in.

But, the weary chief minister needs some rest before setting off to the next lot. He enters into a small air-conditioned room sandwiched between the hall and the large open space. Sometime after he invites waiting mediapersons at the door in and started responding their queries. Though, most of the time he just falters as the press people fell short of queries.

The chief minister apparently lingers on his stay in the AC room while chatting off-the-record and off-the-camera light to be able to cool and relax himself for some more time.

Forty-five minutes passed and again he comes out to mean his business. The second batch has settled in—on the same rows of faded blue plastic chairs under rows of Bajaj ceiling fans; amidst the same crowd of officials and mediamen.

The hall and the outside space once again is humming with activity and swinging leaves of potted Chinese palm plants kept carefully in four corners of the hall.

A repeat performance.

Its one past twenty-five in the afternoon and the Bihar chief minister gets time to come outside to tread on the narrow au-burn brick alameda towards main building of the residence.

He looks tired, jaded and down but, not out. He has to go to a women’s programme at four and also to the premier of Ram Gopal Verma’s latest flick, Shiva at six in the evening.

Non the less he has made it again. Sedulous effort, he says.

Tomorrow is another day.

But, not Thursday. Thursday makes difference. Thursday brings hope, resilience, assurance, optimism. Thursday is the fifth day of the week.

Bihar awakes.

Comment

comments...

When Sunday cannot (rather could not) become the first day of the week, it was Thursday that stood up to get counted, queued up.and lsitened to.

Politicians may well be dismissive about everything their adversaries do, but a first-hand impression by a journalist does convey the message that Nitish is serious about janata durbar. After all, those beads of sweats on his forehead were real.

Just the other day, the former Bihar lord addressed a public meet to say that he and his ministers are making it heaven at the Centre and everything was wrong with Bihar.

Politics, buddy.

But as citizens of badly administered Bihar right from Congress days to lantern age, we see a government getting serious. Even if 10 per cent of a 600-batch at janata durbar gets reprieve, it is worth an attempt.

The CM had all the choice to leave junta to his bureaucrats but he chose to do it himself, perhaps to suggest that he was wide awake and watching. The janata will come again at 1 Anne Marg if babus work at their usual sloth pace.

I would have loved to read how a particular problem is/ was sorted out, step
by step, rebuke by rebuke after CM's instruction. Also, a cumulative problem disposal figures would have put the janata durbar straight for those with "dismissive" minds.

It is always a pleasure to read you, Amarnath. Your clarity of thought and choice of words are brilliant. Wish to read more of such pieces in future.

I wish to conclude with a Dussehra wish:

Beti Garib Ki Jis Din Muskurayegi,
Us Din Har Utsav, Dussehra-Diwali Ho Jayegi,
Kaun Kehta Hai Chandni Ama (darkness) Ki Ho Jayegi,
Tum Hamse Milo, Hum Tumse Milen, Baharen Phir Aayegi.

SANTOSH SINGH

santoshsanjay@gmail.com

Amarnath Tewary
Patna based special correspondent of
The Pioneer