Bihar: Past, Present and Future

Various media reports of Indian and foreign origin basedrevealed that Bihar state is shining. The "New York Times"highlights the news of vastly improved law and order situation inthe state and the phenomenal economic growth shown over the courseof last seven years. The BBC article titled "Where backward Biharleads India" has made strides in the areas of womens empowerment,judicial reforms, tax reforms and public safety. In historicalcontext, Bihar, the holy land of Lord Buddha, has witnessed goldenperiod of Indian history. It is the same land where the seeds ofthe first republic were sown and which cultivated the first crop ofdemocracy. The Nalanda and Vikramshila universities were hub of learningwhich got worldwide recognition in the fifth and eight century. Itwas here that Prince Gautam attained enlightenment. It is here alsothat Lord Mahavira, the founder of another great religion, Jainism,was born and attained nirvana (death). For its geographicallocation, natural beauty, mythological and historical importance,this state feels proud of the assets it has been gifted by time.And for its moral contributions in the fields of arts-literatureand religion and spiritualism, it knows no competitors centuriesold stories related to this land are told even today. The state isthe same kingdom, which once upon a time ruled the country as wellas the neighbouring countries. Bihar remained the fountain-head ofculture and education during the last ten centuries. The Guptareign, India was called as "golden bird." This glorious history ofBihar lasted till around the middle of the 7th or 8th century A.D.- the Gupta Period – when, with the conquest of almost all ofnorthern India by invaders from the middle-east, the Gupta dynastyalso fell a victim. Bihar has undergone an increduloustransformation since Independence. There is an urgent need for reviving the ancient cultural,educational, social, scientific, economic and positive pursuits ofthe State by designing a master plan paradigm for solving presentday problems of Bihar including unemployment, pollution, faultyeducational system and population explosion. The flawless language,up-to-date information and interesting and informative facts andfigures make this book unique and absorbing. It is a must read forstudents of graduate and postgraduate level of arts group and alsofor students preparing for civil services.