Bihar immediately reflects two different concepts in one’s mind, i.e.; first, it is most difficult place to live in, and secondly, it has a rich past cultural history, its educational brilliance, its role in freedom struggle etc. No doubt, it was one of the best administered State in 1950s, as the Appleby Report and other reports speak of, but it has undergone a sea change in the last fifty years, which also has its bearing on the backward castes of the State. The present study is an attempt to understand the on going process of social transformation of backward caste (39% of the total State population) in context of Bihar. The introductory chapter gives a bird’s eyes view about the Indian caste system including the meaning of backward castes in different contexts. What is the nature of social mobility among the weaker sections of the State has been discussed in mobilization of backward castes. It also describes the role played by different castes associations in achieving higher socio-economic, educational and political status during pre-independence and post-independence. Struggle for their betterment resulted in constitution of Mungerilal Commission to suggest various measures for their upliftment including formulation of reservation policy for the State Government services as well as education (including welfare measures), so that their energy could be channelised in the right direction for diluting the aggressiveness of these caste groups for overall development of the State. In the end of the book, lists of backward castes of Bihar along with office orders have been appended for practical purpose.
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