Special thanks to Suyash for sending me this wonderful pic. If only I could pass this on to the station-master of the New Delhi Railway station.
Showing posts with label Bihar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bihar. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Life and Death on Bihar's highways
Riding the highway north from Patna can be a fatal experience. We saw some remnants of vehicles on the Mahatma Gandhi Setu, the giant entry bridge into Patna. This was just an indication of what was to come on our ride to Kalyanpur, a village 160 kilometres away. Somewhere near Dalsinghsarai, there was a 3-kilometre long traffic jam. When we finally managed to penetrate that jam, we saw two trucks that rammed into each other. There was no chance in hell that the people in the front seat of both trucks would have survived after that accident.
There is unnecessary stress in places like Dalsinghsarai, where endless honking is a way of life. Biharis don't seem to fear for their own lives. Bicyclists and bikers walk through railway crossings despite the vibrations, sounds and sights of incoming trains. My heart was in my mouth when I saw a bicyclist gently stroll past the tracks as a train zoomed in. He survived by 3 seconds!
Riding back to Patna at night was even more of an adventure. We had an excellent driver who saved us from getting rammed by a truck that was desperate to overtake a bus at any cost. There was also a Formula-1 type race between a motorcycle and a tractor. The man in the bike was riding with a woman. My theory is that they were eloping and heading as far north as possible. A little less presence of mind from our driver and the couple would have enjoyed their honeymoon in heaven.
When we were back in Patna city, I wanted to bow down and touch the ground. We weren't just further statistics on Bihar's highways!
There is unnecessary stress in places like Dalsinghsarai, where endless honking is a way of life. Biharis don't seem to fear for their own lives. Bicyclists and bikers walk through railway crossings despite the vibrations, sounds and sights of incoming trains. My heart was in my mouth when I saw a bicyclist gently stroll past the tracks as a train zoomed in. He survived by 3 seconds!
Riding back to Patna at night was even more of an adventure. We had an excellent driver who saved us from getting rammed by a truck that was desperate to overtake a bus at any cost. There was also a Formula-1 type race between a motorcycle and a tractor. The man in the bike was riding with a woman. My theory is that they were eloping and heading as far north as possible. A little less presence of mind from our driver and the couple would have enjoyed their honeymoon in heaven.
When we were back in Patna city, I wanted to bow down and touch the ground. We weren't just further statistics on Bihar's highways!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Patna Diary
When you keep your expectations as low as I did, it is very difficult to be disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised what I saw in Patna. We stayed in the "posh" Exhibition Road of the city and you could be fooled to think that you are in any boom town in India. There's a Dominos Pizza filled to the brim, an HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank and all sorts of multinational brands.
The city is now considered safe after dark and every local is proud of the improved law and order situation. Biharis love Nitish Kumar and he was given an unbelievably large mandate in the recent elections. For the capital city of the poorest state in India, there was one glaring contradiction: No beggars on the streets.
To be really fair, I found Patna to be a much more livable and cleaner city than say Guwahati in Assam. The locals are friendly, there is a great level of optimism and people believe that Bihar's time has come. "Our growth-rate is catching up with China," a successful entrepreneur told me. Alright, I don't want to be mean but seriously. If my GDP is 10 dollars and grows to 11 dollars, I can hardly indulge in chest-banging and claim that my economy will be greater than the dragon's
The city is now considered safe after dark and every local is proud of the improved law and order situation. Biharis love Nitish Kumar and he was given an unbelievably large mandate in the recent elections. For the capital city of the poorest state in India, there was one glaring contradiction: No beggars on the streets.
To be really fair, I found Patna to be a much more livable and cleaner city than say Guwahati in Assam. The locals are friendly, there is a great level of optimism and people believe that Bihar's time has come. "Our growth-rate is catching up with China," a successful entrepreneur told me. Alright, I don't want to be mean but seriously. If my GDP is 10 dollars and grows to 11 dollars, I can hardly indulge in chest-banging and claim that my economy will be greater than the dragon's
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Magadh Express Cancelled
I guess a reality check was due at sometime. Three days of meetings in the corridors of power in Delhi. Three days of seeing the very best India had to offer. Three days of wonderful and insigthful encounters and drives through the most tree-lined and well-maintained neighbourhoods in the country. And then it ends with this: At 8:00 pm at the New Delhi Railway station, around a thousand passengers are told that the Magadh Express to Bihar has been cancelled.
The station-master gives no reason and tells me that this is India, so tough luck! The Delhi to Bihar sector is one of the most used ones in the Indian Railways but a train can be cancelled for no apparent reason. "Tell the Angrez that this happens here," said a man in the station-master's office who probably sees this kind of drama regularly.
The station-master gives no reason and tells me that this is India, so tough luck! The Delhi to Bihar sector is one of the most used ones in the Indian Railways but a train can be cancelled for no apparent reason. "Tell the Angrez that this happens here," said a man in the station-master's office who probably sees this kind of drama regularly.
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