BIHAR HORROR - Travel Experiences

These days the nation is talking about Bihar for both good reasons and bad reasons. Bihar is getting heated up, the channels say… I could not help but remembering my short stint in Bihar. Thought of sharing that with you all to take you to those times of Bihar and judge yourself whether anything has changed or not…

CIRCA 1982…

I had a very unforgettable, shuddering and horrible experience in one of the interior villages of Bihar.

But before that, you might be wondering why on earth I was there.

Before narrating that terrible experience, let me talk about the good things; and there are many good things in Bihar to remember though that one particular experience made a scar in my memory.

My six months long stay in the interior Villages of Bihar was immediately after my heavenly twelve months stay in rural Punjab. I will be sharing one of my soul stirring experiences in Punjab in another posting some other day. Anyway, I was in for a shock treatment when I shifted to Bihar

Coming back to the why I was there part…

The famous IIM – Ahmedabad which was my home for almost 4 years!

THE WORLD BANK PROJECT

I was on a World Bank Project being managed by India’s premium management Institution, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. This was a research project to understand the differences in the Agricultural practices in the two extreme states of India, Punjab & Bihar. Punjab was the most prosperous State especially in terms of Agriculture and Bihar was the most underdeveloped and un-exploited state although it is much richer in fertile lands, metals and minerals compared to Punjab.

What made Punjab flourish so much and what made Bihar perish to the lowest level? Today it may be different. There could be many reasons to it including political. And so, I do not want to touch upon that. I later realised that there are enough social reasons as well to it.

Anyway, just to give you an idea of the results of that research, let me tell you my observations which at least some of you might find interesting.

There were majorly two reasons for this gaping difference between the two states.

The fields in Punjab were able to be cultivated using large agricultural implements due to single pieces of vast area owned by joint families and handed down over generations. In Bihar, it is the other way around, the lands were fragmented, and it was very difficult to use any major equipment that could make the farming efficient. This is because of the family systems they had. When they marry away their children, the fields are also cut and given away as dowry. The bride moves to other villages and unfortunately her fields remain unattended. This has been happening for generations and the result is, extremely fertile farmland became bits and pieces.

Another major reason could be the fact that farmers from Bihar go to Punjab looking for greener pastures, and work for quick money regularly without waiting for the harvest.

I have personally seen many young Bihari men and small families alighting at Jalandhar railway station. It was a sight to behold where the Punjabi landlords of the farming community literally bargain and buy them on the spot for life. Sort of bonded labour, I guess. I am told that they are even drugged slowly with opium so that they remain loyal for life.

‘Attitude’ of the farmers in both states also plays a major role in this major shift of wealth. In Punjab, you will not find a single person (male or female) not involved in the productivity of theirs farms. You can easily see even a 90+ year old Sardar driving Tractors into the fields.

In Bihar the farmers believe in enjoying life as ‘Landlords’ and not toiling by tilling their fields when the time is right. They move in flocks to Punjab and work there like bullocks to make Punjab prosperous and remaining themselves poor for life!

There could be more to all these, but I was not able to comprehend beyond these.

HOW I BECAME A PART OF HISTORY!?

During my stay in Bihar, I had to travel frequently between Patna and Muzafarpur as I was operating from both places. Ancient times, civilizations thrived on the banks of rivers or on seashores. People say, if you construct new roads to nowhere, or bridges across the rivers, the developments are automatic. Roman rulers were the first one to try that and the rest is history.

It was during my first month of life in Bihar, that I witnessed the commissioning of the longest River Bridge, (Mahatma Gandhi Setu across the River Ganga connecting the North and South of Bihar) by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. And I was one of the fortunate few who got a chance to drive across the bridge right behind Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Before the new bridge was built, the travel to Muzafarpur and back took almost 6 hours by very bad roads and then crossing over the bridge Rajendra Setu down the river Ganga that connected South Bihar and North Bihar. With the new bridge, it took less than 90 minutes! That was a great blessing for me personally, not to mention for the entire population that lived in the area. At last, Muzafarpur got better connected with the capital City Patna and I am told, the development in Muzafarpur happened manifold in a very short time since then.

My stay in Bihar presented me with a variety of experiences. I was at awe seeing the way people dressed and the kind of language they spoke in the interiors. It was not ‘Hindi’ though sounded a little like that (It was Bhojpuri). To me it didn’t make any difference as I didn’t know either much for that matter during those days. But I could easily manage. Once you leave the city Patna, the whole state seemed to me like a state where dust and mud play hide and seek. If there is no dust, there will be mud. Still I liked the simplicity of the people there. The sad part is that everyone there looked very poor and very depressed. Their permanent expressions were of suffering, poverty and helplessness. Anger was also a common expression which I am sure must have stemmed out of poverty and the bad practices handed down by generations. There were fatal fights between family members, feudal lords, and even villages! It is a known fact about India that the landscape, language, looks, mannerisms or even mental state, differ hugely with a few hundred kilometres of geographical separation. And where else in this world do you get to see this kind of diversity?

Now, coming to the central matter. The incident that refuses to leave me even after a quarter century. Though I do not remember the name of that spot, I remember the incident in great detail.

HORROR STRIKES!!!

I was travelling to one village where my data collection executive was staying. This village with about 120 Families living, is about 3-4 km away from the main road. Only one bus goes through this muddy road in a day. The same bus returns the next day after travelling to a distant bigger village farther down 60 km. I reached the bus stop around 6 PM. There were only about 10-15 match-box like shops seen there. There are two roads going to two opposite directions from the village centre that had a bus shed. I noticed a couple of small make-shift lodges with roadside eateries as well. They are extended onto the muddy road by a tarpaulin. I was supposed to travel further on a bullock cart or by foot to the nearby village which was the actual sample. So, there was no other alternative but to spend the night there.

The sun was going down and the dry fields have started to become gold in colour. I could see miles and miles of dry farmland. I approached one of the Hotels and, in whatever communication skill I had, asked for some food and they told me they have ‘Dal-Chawal’ (Rice with a curry made of Lentil). I got the food in a jiffy. I was a little surprised but realized that these were prepared continuously. I have already started liking the Dal a lot however thin it was. Lentils were sparse in the curry. Still it was tasty. On a stitched-leaf plate, they dumped some rice and poured the thin Dal on top of that. It was steaming hot. It seemed this combination is the staple food there. I inhaled the steam straight in. It smelt wonderful! And then, I could not wait but attack the food with my bare hands in full force as I was really hungry.

I furiously mixed the Dal in Rice. I was about to put my first mix into the mouth when, through the corner of my eyes, I noticed a sandstorm approaching us very fast accompanied by rain. The approaching wind sounded quite scary. The wind whistled sharply and it carried a lot of dust with it. Within no time, the whole place got covered in light brownish dust. It was very difficult to see beyond 15 feet away when the wind passed through the area. The support of the tarpaulin extension could not stand the wind and one of them fell down. When the first wave of the wind got settled, everything there was covered with sand and dust, including my hot Dal-Chawal. Then it started pouring big time. I did not have time to make any move. I just sat there and looked at the now spoiled Dal-Chawal with my eyes wet with tears and body drenched in rainwater. The Hotel owner felt very sorry for me and took me inside to give some more food with a smile. The Hotel owner was watching me eat as though he was watching a friendly alien!

After finishing the food somehow, I asked him where I could stay overnight knowing very well that there is nothing in the vicinity except for some Tractor and two-wheeler workshops around. He smiled at me and said proudly “Hum bandobust kar dengena? Bahot bhadiya kamrava nahin, par theek hi hoga ek raat keliye, ji. Kiraaya bhi utna hi loonga” (I will arrange everything. It may not be a great hotel like room but should be ok for a night. I will take very low rent also). I was relieved. He showed me a flight of narrow steep wooden stairs leading to a small hole on the ceiling. He went up first and I got terrified the creaking noise at every step. Any time it could break. Anyway, I followed him and squeezed through the hole to reach the next level. I had to bend down to get into a low congested room with metal sheet roofing and a Coir stretched Cot. I could not even stand erect inside. There was a small window facing the road. Rain was beating profusely inside. Seeing me looking at that pathetically, he suddenly took a plastic sheet and sealed the window. He told “So jao” (Go to sleep). He quickly left the room making lot of sound in the process and the whole floor was shaking.

I hit the cot instantly and that was all I remember. Next thing I hear were the birds chirping and some sounds from down below. It felt as though I am sleeping in a farmhouse surrounded by a beautiful garden. But the thought just vanished the moment I opened my eyes hearing a shout from below. What I saw was the sheet metal roof! I looked at my old and bulky SEIKO Wristwatch. It was almost 8 in the morning! I jumped up suddenly and hit my head on the low metal sheet roof. Luckily the sheet was loose and it gave way to my head. I sat there for a few minutes thinking, to come into senses. Then I changed and slowly went down. I almost slipped on the last step. The restaurant owner suddenly came for help and asked “Sambhalke… Cha?” (Be careful… Tea?) I nodded in the affirmative and sat on one of the benches. The street has already become lively. The road was quite muddy due to the rain last night. But I noticed something about 100 feet away. A crowd was standing in the middle of the road discussing something loudly. Many of them were quite relaxed and drinking steaming hot tea from small clay cups. Some of them were looking very violent and talking loudly using bad words. They were standing around a stool. I tried to listen to them but could not understand a single word. The restaurant owner served me the tea. “Naastva karna hai, jane pahle?” (Like to have some breakfast before leaving?) He seemed to be totally uninterested in whatever is happening 100 feet away. Looking at my confused expression, he told me not to worry and being an outsider, he advised me not to get messed up with such things. I asked what the matter was. He looked a little irritated and told me to go and look at the stool kept there, if I really wanted to know what the whole thing is all about. In the same breath he also mentioned that I would be solely responsible for whatever happens to me.

Being an adventurous person by nature, I decided to go and see what was there. I slowly walked towards the crowd and I could ‘feel’ many people staring at me. I proceeded and pushed some people aside and looked at the stool kept in there. There was something kept on the stool. I went nearer. I saw the most horrifying thing in my life. A human head was kept on the stool. It was covered with blood, mud, and all. One eye of the head stared straight at me.

I almost vomited and ran back to the Hotel. The Hotel owner smiled and asked me to relax and told “Khabdana nahin. Yeh to roz ki baat hai idhar” (Don’t worry. This is a regular affair here). He added “Yeh mundi hai na, paas wala gaav se hamare log kal raat ko le aaya tha. Pata hai kyun? Woh log hamare yahan ke ek aadmi ko maarke mundi le gaya tha kuchh din pehle! Yeh uska jawab hai” (This head is from a nearby village, people from where had killed and taken one head from here a few days back. This is the answer to that).

I was really scared. My worry was more whether this Mundi is from the village I am supposed to be going now! I checked with the Hotel owner and he confirmed that it is a very different place.
Without staying further, I grabbed my airbag and started walking towards the direction the Hotel owner showed. In fact, I almost ran from there. I slipped at almost every step as the path was full of mud. Somehow after an unending walk, I managed to lose the noise and the vibe of that place. I saw many people crossing me on the way and it looked as though all were rushing to see the spectacle. With every step, my breath became normal and after an hour and half of walk, I sighted the village. I almost reached the village and I saw my Research Assistant running towards me worried. I knew I was safe now.

This was my first ever experience to see a severed head! I sincerely hope the place has changed these days. But News Channels tell a different story.

Being a Painter, Theatre Actor/Director & a Story-teller since childhood, he ended up as an Entertainment Professional in the field of Animation & Visual Effects. This is even though he is a Post-graduate in Applied Mathematics. His passion for Writing, Painting and Theatre helped him immensely in his profession. He used to be a Travelling Photographer and a lover of Mountains and Jungles. He always finds reasons and reasonings to ‘ideate’ and ‘create’ through fine arts, performing arts whether through text, images, video or music.
 

Currently he runs his own YouTube Channel “HINDEOS – Art, Culture, Spirituality & Meditation” with the objective of documenting various nuances in Art & Culture that are normally not available on the internet as Videos. This is with the objective of preserving our treasures for the benefit of present and future generations.