Bihar at a crossroads

For decades after India’s Independence, undivided Bihar was synonymous with socio-economic backwardness. It stood at the head of the BIMARU States, which also included undivided Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, besides Rajasthan, that were known for high population growth rates, poor health indicators, low literacy, and debilitating poverty. Although things have slowly changed, with the political mobilisation of the backward castes around reservation benefits and with greater allocations from the Centre, development has still been uneven.

This e-book from The Hindu with essays from subject experts and journalists traces Bihar’s development trajectory—the challenges and the opportunities, the Nitish Kumar phenomenon, the rise of the BJP to a leading player, the caste equations that undergird political alliances, and the re-emergence of Lalu Prasad with his son in the forefront—within the context of what promises to be a historic election.

What’s inside:

1. Bihar: idea, territory, and people, by Varghese K. George

2. Bihar’s development trajectory: perspective, persistent challenges, and the way forward, by Bakshi Amit Kumar Sinha

3. Nitish Kumar: the constant and the variable of Bihar, by Sobhana K. Nair and Amit Bhelari

4. From fringe player to powerhouse: the ascent of BJP in Bihar, by Nistula Hebbar

5. Father, son, and the spectre of ‘jungle raj’, by Sobhana K. Nair and Amit Bhelari

6. The caste conundrum: decoding the power dynamics, by Sobhana K. Nair and Amarnath Tewary

7. Bihar at a glance, Compiled by Nitika Francis

To download a sample of the e-book : https://newsth.live/BiharSample

To buy the e-book from Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0FM47WJYJ

To read the e-book, subscribe here: https://www.thehindu.com/premium/ebook/