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Bihar: is in the Eye of the Beholder
In this impressionistic and often darkly funny account of the sixteen months he spent in a small town in Bihar, Vijay Nambisan tries to understand what drives—or thwarts—perhaps the most talked about state in the Indian Union. Vicious poverty and caste wars, messy politics, corruption and lawlessness—the worst of modern India is in full display here. Yet, how different is Bihar from the rest of the country? And is it really on the brink of a spectacular collapse? Looking beyond clichés and statistics, Vijay Nambisan has produced a remarkably perceptive and balanced portrait of the ‘hole in the heart of India’.
- GenresIndiaNonfiction
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 2, 2020
A delicious book, full of snark and jealousy and kindness and wisdom, and I can only lament that Nambisan didn't write more such books. I would have devoured immediately the Kerala book he alludes to but never wrote.
It is very much a writer's book, filled with asides and digressions and allusions to something more, something hidden, and then actually proceeding to tease out whatever could be. The experiences he has had are written about without judgement and flourish: He records, and never looks down at anything. And because he has no qualms about calling anything out, he does, and often. Such courage is so rare in these dark days of Indian journalism that you can't help but wish that Nambisan was still here.
But he is here, isn't he? The book is a reminder of an episode of a life deeply felt and lived, in which he examined all that he could, and never flinched from telling it like it is. Bihar.. may not be a great book, but it is a honest one, in every sense of that much maligned word.
I think Nambisan would be happy with that.
It is very much a writer's book, filled with asides and digressions and allusions to something more, something hidden, and then actually proceeding to tease out whatever could be. The experiences he has had are written about without judgement and flourish: He records, and never looks down at anything. And because he has no qualms about calling anything out, he does, and often. Such courage is so rare in these dark days of Indian journalism that you can't help but wish that Nambisan was still here.
But he is here, isn't he? The book is a reminder of an episode of a life deeply felt and lived, in which he examined all that he could, and never flinched from telling it like it is. Bihar.. may not be a great book, but it is a honest one, in every sense of that much maligned word.
I think Nambisan would be happy with that.
August 15, 2017
RIP Vijay Nambisan
... and thank you for the most readable book on 90s Bihar. Maybe we need more poets writing about politics. Saving this space for a more complete review.
... and thank you for the most readable book on 90s Bihar. Maybe we need more poets writing about politics. Saving this space for a more complete review.
September 6, 2017
Vijay Nambisan portrays a Bihar that is part-endearing, part-scary. Death and taxes have been replaced with violence and corruption (or lack of ticket-holders in trains), politicians are 'representatives' in both the senses of the word, caste has been upended and flourishes in equal parts, all of it disturbing the stability of gross inequality which prevailed before the rise of Laloo as India's most talked about CM of the 90s. The author, who stayed for approximately one and a half year in Mokama, confirms everything we have heard about Bihar, such as the feudalism, the oppression, the political control of the police, the extortion racket, election rigging, lack of education & health among other things. It is no jungle-raj or anarchy, Laloo is in complete control, he knows which strings to pull and when to pull them, he is a ruthless politician, an election-winning machine of the 90s even when beset with powerful enemies and limelighted scandals.
At the same time, there is a certain type of beauty in this Bihar. Social bonds and a sense of community exists, people are frank and honest (they don't like it if you don't adjust in trains), Muslims weren't harmed in the 90s, there's lack of ostentation (Thanks to the extortion racket, houses have been built but not painted. Can someone send punjabis there?), people celebrate festivals together (Author's description of chhatth is a treat to read, with whole of Bihar, the dalits, the Brahmins, the powerless and Laloo on parole standing on the banks of Ganga, offering Aarghya). There is fairness of chaos in this Bihar and there is also potential, a fertile soil, a population deprived of opportunities for centuries altogether.
Do read the book if you can, for the Bihar, for the stories (use of bombs on Diwali when people ran out of firecrackers), for how humanity sustains itself in trying circumstances. Lastly, read it to understand what author means when the author states that Bihar is a state of mind, a state of being.
At the same time, there is a certain type of beauty in this Bihar. Social bonds and a sense of community exists, people are frank and honest (they don't like it if you don't adjust in trains), Muslims weren't harmed in the 90s, there's lack of ostentation (Thanks to the extortion racket, houses have been built but not painted. Can someone send punjabis there?), people celebrate festivals together (Author's description of chhatth is a treat to read, with whole of Bihar, the dalits, the Brahmins, the powerless and Laloo on parole standing on the banks of Ganga, offering Aarghya). There is fairness of chaos in this Bihar and there is also potential, a fertile soil, a population deprived of opportunities for centuries altogether.
Do read the book if you can, for the Bihar, for the stories (use of bombs on Diwali when people ran out of firecrackers), for how humanity sustains itself in trying circumstances. Lastly, read it to understand what author means when the author states that Bihar is a state of mind, a state of being.
March 12, 2024
4.5// what a goddamn read, thoroughly enjoyed!
June 12, 2020
I finally finished Bihar is in the Eye of the Beholder. It so long because I didn’t want to complete it.
It is the kind of book that makes you want to meet the author. Not many books invoke that. This one does.
When it was first recommended to me, I had the typical response of what will an outsider know or wrote about my home? The it was gifted to me. I began with the same attitude. Which changed while still on the introduction.
Irreverent and loving account of my home state. The writing style is conversational. The author is self deprecating at the same time admonishing.
I loved the book. I loved the last note on the new edition. Vijay Nambisan has done justice in his writing about my home.
I wish I could write to him about the book and discuss it.
It is the kind of book that makes you want to meet the author. Not many books invoke that. This one does.
When it was first recommended to me, I had the typical response of what will an outsider know or wrote about my home? The it was gifted to me. I began with the same attitude. Which changed while still on the introduction.
Irreverent and loving account of my home state. The writing style is conversational. The author is self deprecating at the same time admonishing.
I loved the book. I loved the last note on the new edition. Vijay Nambisan has done justice in his writing about my home.
I wish I could write to him about the book and discuss it.
June 25, 2021
The background in book is set in 1996-1999 which speaks in volumes about the problems in the state and the indifference of the political leaders and the general population alike. What's more disturbing is that fact that it's almost been two decades but the practices in the book are still very much relevant in the rural Bihar.
January 18, 2025
Read this book last, probably one of the best books i have read on Bihar. Ich empfehle es jedem, der etwas über Bihar lernen möchte. It was fun to read about the man's encounters in the glorious state of Bihar. Jai Up bihar
October 29, 2022
5 out of 5 stars. A fuckin 5 out of 5!!
September 6, 2017
I've got to say, Nambisan has a certain wit and charm in his writing that I often find missing in Indian authors. His remarkably candid description of Bihar is remarkable for both is candour as well as its floweriness. Seldom have I heard the state, the first of the BIMARU, described in such poetic terms. The good, the bad and the ugly have been laid bare with a healthy dose of the author's own viewpoint melding in.
Bihar is a complex society. The press has a tendency to romanticise the percieved backwardness and violence towards its own ends. Nambisan, on the other hand, uses the space in his book to look into the nuances. The length of the book is more devoted to the "why"s of Bihar's backwardness rather than the "how"s. His stories about Christian missionaries and election shenanigans mingle with tales about marriages and Lalu Yadav. Mokameh Ghat's legendary gang violence and stories of hospitable gundas and zamindars come together to give a variegated picture of India's most backward state, its rulers riding the two faces of governance: Corruption and Violence.
4.5/5 for being intensely entertaining, and I deduct half a point more because the book was too short.
Bihar is a complex society. The press has a tendency to romanticise the percieved backwardness and violence towards its own ends. Nambisan, on the other hand, uses the space in his book to look into the nuances. The length of the book is more devoted to the "why"s of Bihar's backwardness rather than the "how"s. His stories about Christian missionaries and election shenanigans mingle with tales about marriages and Lalu Yadav. Mokameh Ghat's legendary gang violence and stories of hospitable gundas and zamindars come together to give a variegated picture of India's most backward state, its rulers riding the two faces of governance: Corruption and Violence.
4.5/5 for being intensely entertaining, and I deduct half a point more because the book was too short.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews