Bihar ranks first among the states in terms of rural housing shortage (42.10 lakhs), says census data. Back in 1947, Bihar was probably the first state in the country to enact a separate law, namely the Bihar Privileged Persons Homestead Tenancy Act, for providing security of tenure to landless rural households. Since then the Bihar […]
On Saturday, there was a curious kind of ‘protest’ held for about three hours at the JP roundabout opposite Patna’s Maurya Hotel. A dozen or so people sat fairly quietly under a capony, ‘gently’ raising their voices against the growing intolerance and polarisation in India. The banner they huddled under was, “Bihar Intellectual Forum.” This […]
In the untamed interior villages of the Wild East that is Bihar, caste and community based Panchayats have a sway of their own, often imposing archaic forms of justice on the communities. Mahila Samakhya women often challenge patriarchy and superstition, and undermine those who want to use distorted religion or superstition to control communities. Now […]
At six thirty on Saturday morning, the quiet of the Church Road in New Patliputra Colony was broken by a chorus that went, “Gai hamari maata hai, yeh hamari dharma ka mamla hai”. (The cow is our mother, this is our religious issue: note the stress on ‘hamari’) A motely group of a dozen men […]
It’s interesting how the journalists colour stories and how local media houses cater to sensationalism. First some ‘students’ of Patna Women’s College start a WhatsApp vilification campaign against a male teacher and the college principal. Then came the hounding of Patna Women’s College faculty member Sanjay Dutta (he has since resigned), by politically affiliated student groups and the local […]
The Great Bihar election is undoubtedly the event of the year, even the coming Puja festival pales in significance. To ensure that polling in Bihar goes smoothly has always been a challenge for the administration and election Commission alike. In Bhagalpur district, a vast area with a volatile mix of castes and communities, and known […]
Practically every second person in Bihar is a child. It’s amazing that no political party in Bihar seriously addresses the concerns of 48 percent of the population. Why is it that children’s issues are never central to the civic and political discourse in Bihar? That was a question that popped into my mind during a […]
In a fast changing narrative, what was first a complaint of inappropriate classroom behaviour by a Patna Women’s College teacher, has now been changed to ‘sexual assault’. But why is it that political fish seem to be swimming around in troubled waters? On Friday, even after the accused resigned, and the police and college authorities promised action […]
With no holds barred, and no ‘disrespect’ to anyone be it Sanjay Dutta, Minati Chaklanovis, or Sister Marie Jessie, Newsnet one editor Frank Krishner continues to ask questions. In a fast changing narrative, what was first a complaint of inappropriate classroom behaviour by a Patna Women’s College teacher, has now been changed to ‘sexual assault’. […]
Frank Krishner asks some searching questions, it’s for the College Administration to find the answers! The past few days have been particularly traumatic for the ‘veteran’ professors of Patna Women’s College. Why? Because there is this overpowering sense of a loss of innocence. The students, with some tacit support from inside and outside forces (one […]
Over the weekend one attended a ‘Hijra Habba’ at Patna, organized by an organization working on the HIV/AIDS platform providing technical assistance to for the MTH interventions of Bihar state AIDS Control Society. Commendable job, talking about mainstreaming, and getting a government minister to pitch in, bolstered by a reps from few government and non-government […]
Bihar Food and civil supplies minister Shyam Rajak on Friday said that it is high time that society accords the third gender (TG) opportunities for mainstreaming. He announced that his ministry would give preference to applications from eligible TG and Hijra residents who wish to open PDS shops. The minister was among a slew of […]
