Bihar Jharkhand Network

Social face of Professionals from Bihar & Jharkhand

www.bihari.org http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bihari e-Newsletter

Aug-Sept 2006

Who we are?

This group was founded with the aim of enabling people form Bihar & Jharkhand to help each other and provides an outlet so that we can pool our resources.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1

Who we are?

2

Minister Promises to Bring IISER in Bihar

3

Bihar govt signs MoU for three SEZs

Vision:

4

Parveen Warsi one of top UK Indian businesswoman, born in Bihar Independence Greetings and CALL for Formation of A NEW committee A hope for good news from Bihar Bihar's tiny school is churning out IIT-ians

Mission:

5 6 7 8

Mahila Udyog Mela: State shedding 'untouchable' tag Book Review : Managing Time

10

Report Poultry Project (Funded by: Bihari Group, Executed by: CPSL, Patna ) Proud to be Bihari

11

Famous personalities from Bihar

12

Hindi Poem

13

Some interesting facts about Bihar FEEL THE PRIDE

14 15

History of Jainism revisited in Bihar : ‘The golden triangle of Bihar’ Patna City soaked in history

16

Highlights of group activities

17

Media Watch Dog for Bihar – “New”

18

Acknowledgement

19

Editors

9

To unite comunity from Bihar & Jharkhand in a spirit of self-help, end the caste division and help to uplift Bihar & Jharkhand.

Build a knowledge base on issues related to Bihar & Jharkhand. Enable Professionals across the world to network with and help each other. Raise the image of Bihar & Jharkhand and encourage the propagation of the heritage of Bihar & Jharkhand. Discuss the perspectives and roots problems with a positive frame of mind.

of

social

Fight social evils and encourage social initiatives to benefit the twin states of Bihar & Jharkhand.

Disclaimer:

All thoughts expressed are of the individual concerned. The group may/may not subscribe to the individual's views. No part of the article may be published without the permission of the writers. This e-newsletter does not claim reporting of all activities & discussions.

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Minister Promises to Bring IISER in Bihar By- Dr. Rajkishore Prasad, Japan

Hon'ble Union Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals came to Japan on an official visit. I requested him to spare some time to discuss issue of an IISER (Indian Institute of Science for Education and Research) for Bihar. Fortunately, despite his very hectic schedule, he agreed and I got time and met him in Tokyo. The matter on which I drawn his attention is related with opening an IISER in Bihar. I gave him a presentation pointing out the need of IISER in Bihar and prevailing disparity in distribution of national educational institutes. Such disparities have been pointed out recently by the India Science report. The hon'ble minister went through every point and have discussed in details. He was surprised to know why this matter has not been raised. He gave very positive promise. He will talk with hon'ble PM on his return and said that he will bring an IISER in Bihar. He also talked about the opening of National Institute of Pharmaceutical education and Research at Hajipur. I hope hon'ble minister will not make us hopeless on the issue of IISER too.

Bihar govt signs MoU for three SEZs In its bid to catch up with other states, the Bihar government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) for establishing three Special Economic Zones in the state. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the company, chief secretary G.S. Kang said altogether three SEZs will be established in the state. Two of them will be product specific and one multiproduct. ‘‘The SEZs will lead to significant investment and employment potential in the state,’’ Kang said. The location for the SEZs however was yet to be finalised. D K Mittal, a representative of IL&FS, said the locations would be identified after site analysis by their company with the help of the state government. ‘‘We are committed to develop worldclass infrastructure for the SEZs to ensure accelerated industrial development of Bihar,’’ Mittal reiterated. He said that the SEZs would be established through Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach and both the government of Bihar and IL&FS will share business development risk in line with the partnership approach. Though the two parties reiterated that location of the SEZs were still to be finalised, sources have it that the state

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government has already identified around 1,000 acre of land near Bihta and 500 acre in Muzaffarpur. Bihta is around 35 km, while Muzaffarpur some 70 km from Patna. Both these places have road as well as rail connectivity. Apart from this, the state government has also identified land in Hajipur, just 15 km from Patna Link for Detail

Parveen Warsi one of top UK Indian businesswoman, born in Bihar (Samosa queen in UK's top 10) London, An NRI businesswoman with an empire serving some of the busiest supermarkets in the UK has been named one of the ten most remarkable women in Britain. Dubbed as 'Samosa queen', 51-yearold Parween Warsi won the first women lifetime achievement award at the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) awards.Born in Muzaffarpur, Warsi owns S and A Foods and is among the busiest businesswomen in the midlands. She figures high among the list of Britain's top entrepreneurs and is among the richest businesswomen in the country. Warsi began humbly by making samosas and carting them to her local takeaway - Andy's fish bar in Derby to see if they would sell. Her success at Andy's prompted Warsi to hire local Indian women housewives who could do with some extra cash - to scale up her kitchen. Link for Detail

Independence Greetings and CALL for Formation of A NEW committee By- Arun Bhai Patel Dear friends, Let us greet each other on the occasion of independence day and try to contribute towards making a happy society where insiders feel cared, loved and looked after, and a strong society which does not succumb to the outsiders. This is FIFTH independence day for the group, I suppose. A good time to look back and make new logical adjustments with positive frames of mind. I think we have a young past which we can look with keeping our head high; we have taken up several projects, connected with each other well by virtue of being only Bihari and mostly have enjoyed the company, and all of us have got benefited in the process. One of the most important things that

has happened is membership has increased at impressive rate but it has not translated into perceptible increase in our ability. In fact, there are many who believe that general enthusiasm has come down. And, rightly so probably. Therefore, I believe it is also time to take initiatives to improve the enthusiasm level of the group, attracting a little bit of more time and passion for common issues in Bihar and/or in Jharkhand.I know that there is no magic formula but I as well as other moderators of the group think that it is time to get a new blood into the team of moderators who can allocate more energy and time to group. Current moderators have done their bit in a commendable way (at least as far as working as a TEAM is concerned) and it is time to move to that next level. Obviously, they would still be involved but would be working more as mentors and guides. Decision making would be mostly of new moderators. For now, we are looking for 3-5 enthusiast members who are willing to work as a team . So, I am taking this opportunity to invite those who have passion for group and would like to contribute a bit more in decision making. At the end of process we would like to have a team where members complement each other, trust each other and work together for common good using group as an effective means. In the process, making group attractive and strong. Everyone who have been members for a while feels passionate about the group, has understood group momentum, dynamics and is willing to allocate a bit more time and efforts. you can directly write to: [email protected] An individual can show his own interest or, one can also propose someone else's name who one thinks is a good choice for moderatorship .We would want one team member residing in Patna and, at least one female member. It is the time, stand up and be counted. It is a chance you can make more active contribution in deciding the direction of group. Regards and once again independence day greetings to you all, Arun On behalf of moderators

A hope for good news from Bihar By- I.R. Sharma

Bihar has a huge human resource. Can we not ensure that all of them are skilled in one or the other trade? Can we not use the excellent masons, carpenters, electricians, and other technicians to train our children in the age group of 10-16 years if

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we can't have 100% trade training for these boys through it is because of capacity constraints there? Can't the government start a set of skill awards at paanchayats, blocks, and district levels for the artisans and for those who part with their skills with the younger population freely? Unlike other states, can't Bihar lead the country by having a large number of high standard trade training schools with capacity that will be sufficient to take all the children of age between16-18 that wish to get into them? If necessary, educational pre-qualification must be relaxed for children of craftsmen's community. Can you not ask each of your DM to take initiative for an education hub in their district head quarters? They are smart and young enough to do this work all on their own. They can create a campus. They can contact industrial houses to have quality schools including some for specialized trade training. Some of the facilities such as playgrounds, conference hall, and laboratories can be common to cut down the cost. Can't these DMs be the PMs of their districts as you once told them? Can't they be kept to head the district for all the time you wish? Why can't their performance be judged by some development parameters of their districts such as all the central projects of 'Bharat Nirman' or 'Sarv Shiksha Aviyan'? Why can't there be a strong competition between the DMs of districts for various achievements? If agriculture sector is the strength of Bihar, why can't the farmers be encouraged to go for 'contract farming' for established corporate if it cuts out the unscrupulous intermediaries? Let the farmers prosper. Bihar must market the advantages of cheap labour to the investor. However, you are to ensure the employment flexibility. Investors are also scared of Bengal type trade unionism or maphia in industry. Can you isolate the investors from them? Why can't Bihar focus on labour ecosystems that attract investment and in turn create jobs? 'Business World' has come out with 'The TeamLease Labour Competitiveness Survey'. Unfortunately, Bihar ranks at the bottom. Very soon 'India Today' will publish the rankings of different states on varying development parameter. Will your ministers ensure improvements over the rankings? You are fortunate to have access to all successful developmental projects. Your ministers and officers can follow them. But one thing is sure unless they are really ambitious, they can't bring about a perceptible change in Bihar.Can your government decide on 10 major projects that your government will like to be remembered for and that it is sure of completing in next 4 years so that we can gauge its performance?

he planned to study so he could become an officer in the Indian civil service. After high school, he enrolled in the Patna College of Commerce, and then he heard about the IITs and the Super 30. "I went straightaway to Anand Kumar and told him: 'I dream of IIT, but I have no money.' He gave me his test, and I came second in the class. [He] let me into his Super 30 -free," His work paid off last spring, when he won a coveted seat at the IIT in Kharagpur, Santosh now aims to earn a doctorate in chemistry and become an inventor. His hero is APJ Abdul Kalam, India's current President and father of the nation's missile program. Just as important, Santosh is on track to becoming the first person from Dumari to graduate from a university, making him a hero in the eyes of his village. Link for Detail Another Link

Bihar's tiny school is churning out IIT-ians Every April, some 230,000 Indian youths sharpen their pencils and sit for the intensely competitive entrance exam to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) After the grueling six-hour test, only 5,000 students are offered a place in the IITs. Most candidates prepare for the exams through very costly private coaching. But in the past few years, a small group of desperately poor, talented students have made it into the IITs, thanks to the Ramanujan School of Mathematics. The school, named after a famous Indian mathematician, is even more intense than the IITs themselves. Located in Patna, the capital of Bihar, one of India's least developed states, the Ramanujan School trains just 30 students a year to take the IIT exam.

Mahila Udyog Mela: State shedding 'untouchable' tag

Anand Kumar, 33, a local mathematician, and Abhayanand, 52, Patna's deputy director general of police and a lover of physics, founded the school in 2003 to help promising locals get ahead in the caste-based society. They scoured Bihar's least privileged communities for 30 bright students to coach for the exam, providing free lessons and housing. They call their group the Super 30. "Intelligence is not birth-specific," says Abhayanand. In the first year, 16 of the group made it into the IITs. The next year, 22 made it. "This year," Kumar says confidently, "all 30 will get into the IITs.

PATNA: It appears Bihar is no longer feared. The message has gone out across the country that a visitor can not only survive in Bihar but can also do brisk business. No wonder then that the 11th Bihar Mahila Udyog Mela, which is run solely by women entrepreneurs, is getting business inquiries from states which never participated in any business fair in this state before. The September 14-to-18 fair is likely to see participation from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra this year.

VILLAGE HERO " Santosh Kumar, 19 (no relation to Anand Kumar), is one of this year's Super 30, and his story is typical of his classmates. He's from Dumari, a village in the Bihata district, about 22 miles from Patna. Nearly all the village's 3,000 residents scratch out meager livings as farmers. Santosh's sister and three brothers studied up to 10th grade but then returned to the fields. Village hero Santosh wanted more. His school had no roof, no doors, and no teachers half the time, but he borrowed books and tutored two young students for 70 cents a month. He also sold vegetables the family cultivated in a nearby market town. "I didn't even know which subjects I was good at, and I'd certainly never heard of IIT. No one had," he says. Then an eighth-grade teacher noticed his mathematical talent and encouraged him to study further. Santosh saw that "education was the only way out of poverty," he says. At first,

"This is unprecedented. Till now our participants would be mainly from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. But this year we have been flooded with inquiries from other states," said Bihar Mahila Udyog Sangh president Pushpa Chopra. She said entrepreneurs from Patiala, Haryana, Delhi, Lucknow, Pune, Kolkata and Andhra Pradesh have confirmed their participation. They have also booked stalls at the fair. "It is not just about an individual's enterprise. But these states would be sending clusters of women accompanied by a staff of the government as well," Chopra said. From Andhra Pradesh, an entire team of lace makers would come. The number of participants from West Bengal is expected to go up this year. A woman entrepreneur said, "Till now women from other states were afraid of visiting Bihar. They often told us that they had heard all kinds of stories and would rather stay away. But this year there is a sense

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of confidence among the same people. They are now willing to come and showcase their products.".... So this year apart from the usual saris, kurtas, bed covers and handicraft items, visitors can also purchase original phulkari embroidery from the Patiala stalls, and admire the handicraft of Maharashtra. However, the limited space inside the Miller School ground, the fair venue, is set to be a dampener. Though the number of participants is set to increase, the organisers have not been able to majorly increase the number of stalls. Said Chopra, "We would urge the government to join hands with us and help us organise the fair on a larger scale from next year onwards." Link for Detail

Book Review : Managing Time By- Samir Kumar Mishra Being a full time IT Professional where each and every day brings its own challenges especially if you are in a RnD project on a totally different concept (Semantic DB) like me. But at the same time I (like most of us in this group) had a desire to pursue higher studies as well. But being in a job which you love and studies (something you want to do) managing time is the most difficult challenge we face in our day to day life. While browsing through local library I got my hands on a Book titled "Managing Time" and I guess I found the kind of book I was looking for. It is not a 500pages lecture with all the shortcuts which gurantees success. Rather it is more like a conversation and with real-life example. As you go thru this book and work on the exercises you will come across many facts about yourself, you didn't even know. At the end of it it gives a tool to setup a plan which works (at least is worth giving try). It shows how one can manage all of their committments - Classes, Work, Study, Social Activities and does it effectively. For those who want to have a look at this book here are the details. Title Author Publisher ISBN

: Managing Time : Ron Fry : Career Press : 1-56414-078-4

Poultry Project (Funded by: Bihari Group, Executed by: CPSL, Patna ) Email Excerpts from Mr. Sunil, Representative of CPSL. Dear Arun Jee, Your mail is always encouraging for us. Certainly I will send you some details of Poultry project. With your fund it reaches nearly in 39 villages which are having nearly two hundred groups having more than 2000 households as members. But the fear of bird flu made negative impact on project and it was stopped for some time. all these 2000 families got reach/access over technologies as they purchased birds from our volunteers. More details will be sent to you latter on. Arun jee if you analyze the process of this project we only provided loan to group members for purchasing and selling of birds. So if you promote Microfinance this kind of project automatically gets promoted. . In last three years more than 3000 households have borrowed more than 3lakhs for education expenditure. it proves that community is very much aware about the importance of education but there is problem in achieving it. Our mission is microfinance- Mission statement of CPSL- The poor have access over credit at low rate of interest(less than or equal to 18 percent per annum on reducing balance) in all villages of Bihar . you have done enough for us now and we will be able to promote it now. In spite of this if our forum is interested we want to open three more units at Madhepura, Araria and Purnia or some of the district can be taken on your suggestion. It will not help us to promote our business but also attract some of the project which is coming very soon in Bihar to support us. this requires an expenditure of one lakh which we can repay in ten years with an yearly installment of Rs ten thousand. Please do not bother about this. Now CPSL is so

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strong that it will get resources from one or the other. Your support was on time and you will not realize what you have given to us. There will be change in Bihar within five years. kindly confirm about receipt of DD.

district. It is also claimed that he was born in village near Nalanda called Kundalpur. Sirhappa was first Hindi poet who was a professor at Nalanda University. The first Buddhist Council held in Rajgir. 4th Buddhist council was held in Srinagar when Buddhism split into Hinayana and Mahayana.

Thanks with regards Sunil

Our first president Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the person for whom it is written on his answer sheet ' Examinee is better than Examiner' and he was the topper of join Bengal, Bihar and Orissa at university level.

Maseeha By- Bikash Kumar Gudri mein sametey tan ko Satya ka paath padhane aya thha

According to mythology where was most holy woman Sita ji was born in Mithila (Janakpur).

Chal kar dikhaya tuney uss raah par Dikhaya bahuton ne, per durgam usey bataya thha

Ramdhari Singh Dinkar wrote famous 'Uravshi'. He died in 1974, was the Hindi Poet from Bihar who got Gyan Peeth Award.

Prithak padi thi Budhh ki vaani Tuney usey apnaya thha

Jarasandh of Rajgir was the King from Bihar who defated Krishna's Army 18 times. Krishna is also called 'Ranchor' due to this.

Gudri mein sametey... Hazaaron saal ki uss sanskriti par Tuney vishwaas phir jagaya tha

Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain. He studied in California in 1920s and never accpeted any office even though he was considered natural successor of Jawarlal Nehru, was the person from Bihar mainly resonsible for stopping India Gandhi's emergeny in 1974-75.

Rakhtvihin ye kaisa ran tha Jissey azaadi tu chhin laya thha Zindagi ne teri toh kiya hi thha vismit Per maut ney bhi ek sailaab uthaya thha

Musician Bismillah award.

Band ho gayee thhee nafrat kee aandhi Ashrudhaar hi bas ek sahara thha

Khan from Ara Bhart Ratna

First Jain Council Held was held in Patliputra (that time called Kusumapur). Jainism was split into Shwetamber and Dikamber. Shewatamber Jians moved to West while Dikamber moved to South. Chandragupa Maurya who had become a Jain follower died in a place near Shravanbelagola near Bangalore.

Smriti teri abhi bhi hai sajeev Per gudri kee dasha per taras aata hai Namunon ko dhak kar badi besharmi sey Wahi gudri karoron(crores) mein bik jaata hai.

Proud to be Bihari By- Naveen Sharma

Phaniswarnath Renu, the Hindi writer on whose novel film Teesari Kassam was made. The greatest of Jain Tirthankar Mahavir Vardhman Born was born in a village called Kundalpur in Vaisali

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Ancient University of Vikramshila was located in current Vaishali district and was famous for Budhist and Hindu study. Gurugobind Singh 10th and the last Guru of Sikh religion were born in Patna. Kunwar Singh, with the help of two Regiments of Danapur and additional men he defated the Sikh and

English soldiers. was the person from Jagdishpur under whose leadership prisoners of Arrah Jail were released and he swam across Ganga with one hand and an injured thigh during 1857 revolt. The finest Ashoka Pillar located in Lauriya Nandangarh in Champaran. Two others were found at Lauriya Araraj and Rampurwa in the same district and fourth one in Vaishalli. All the four were found on the way to Nepal. It is 10.1 meter long with cpaital of around 2.13 meter. Famous Amrapali chief courtesan from Vaishali whose invitation Budha had accepted. In those days beautiful girls acted as 'Nagara Shobhinis' courtesans. They used to be experts in Dance and Music.

Famous personalities from Bihar By- Birbhanu Singh Ancient Aryabhatta ChandraGupta Maurya, native of Patliputra, rival and successor of Mahapadma Nanda Chanakya Panini Vatsyayana Ashvaghosha Arts Bhikhari Thakur Sharda Sinha Literature George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar Ramvriksh Benipuri Phaneeshwar Nath Renu Devaki Nandan Khatri Raja Radhika Raman Prasad Sinha Kalanath Mishra Vidyapati, the first poet of Maithili Acharya Ramlochan Saran, Hindi literateur, grammarian and publisher

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Freedom Fighters Dr Rajendra Prasad Jayaprakash Narayan Brajkishore Prasad Satyendra Narayan Sinha Raj Kumar Shukla Babu Kuer Singh Science, Mathematics, Medicine Dr. Vashisht Narayan Singh Dr. RVP Sinha Dr. B. Mukhopadhyaya Dr. B.B Sinha Dr. Lala Suraj Nandan Dr. Qaiser Rasheed,Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Ramananda Prasad Gorakh Nath Singh, (Economist) Dhirendra Brahmachari (A Yoga Master) Syed Hassan (Educationist)

More Biharis are doctors than Punjab and Gujarat combined. Bihar has produced more number of IAS officer than Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu , Andhra and Gujarat combined. More Biharis are bank probationary office than any other state. More Biharis are in IIT compare to Maharashtra and Gujarat. Bihar produces more wheat than Punjab. More Bihari Girls complete Graduation than Kerala.

History of Jainism revisited in Bihar : ‘The golden triangle of Bihar’ An exciting trip to Rajgir one of three places that form ‘The golden triangle of Bihar,’ where a pair of caverns lie cut out from reddish pink rock. One of them has the marking of a door where king Bimbisara’s treasure is believed to be hidden.

Some interesting facts about Bihar FEEL THE PRIDE By- Abhishek Bihar has more number of Literate than Kerala and Tamil Nadu combined. Bihar has more number of Graduate than Andhra Pradesh and Kerala combined.

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We had just rounded off an exciting tour of Jharkhand and with a few days to spare we chalked out a plan to visit the golden triangle of Bihar viz, Rajgir, Nalanda and Pawapuri. At the outset, we were in for a pleasant surprise close to the southern boundary of the state. Hidden away among the dense woods and rocky ridges is an enchanting waterfalls, the Kakolat falls. Though the 10 km back breaking drive to the spot on a non existent road dissuades anyone from venturing, the trouble is worth taking as we discovered on reaching the spot. A narrow path and a few steps lead to this lovely waterfall charming in its own way. The single cascade drops down in two stages with lines of droplets much like the drizzle of raindrops into a small square pool below which is cool and ideal for a swim. The rocky surface is smeared

with lichens and the damp roots and twines of the trees form the background. Smitten by its beauty we made it back to the highway and on to Rajgir to rest. Rajgir or Rajagriha, as it was known earlier, is a pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Jains. As we began a guided tour, Naulakha, the Jain Shwetambar temple was the first to be visited. The richly carved towers and structures cast in deep pink and white give an attractive look to the temple. The Venuvihar is a sprawling garden full of trees around a large tank and a lovely image of Buddha. The Brahmakund, the hot springs is a good draw for the visitors. It is actually the Saptaparni river that originates in the hills above. With separate bathing chambers for men and women, and a facility for changing, it lures almost everyone to take a dip. As the ancient capital of Magadha empire, Rajgir also has a historical past and the many archeological monuments that the city is studded with only testily that. The Ajathashatru’s fort built by the king in sixth century BC has the remnants of pillars. So also the Bimbisara’s jail, where the king was confined by his own son. Of particular interest is Son Bhandhar, a pair of caverns cut out from reddish pink rock. One of them has the marking of a door where king Bimbisara’s treasure is believed to be hidden. We rummaged through other sites such as the Cyclopean wall that once surrounded the entire town, Pippala cave and Maniar Math ruins. The best part of visiting Rajgir is certainly going up the aerial rope way in open chairs to the top of Ratnagiri Hill which is dominated by the giant white pagoda, the Vishwa Shanthi Stupa built by the Japanese in 1969. The equally impressive temple of the Buddha adjacent to the stupa, also built by Japanese is spick and span. From the top one can have a splendid view of the township as also the Griddhakuta or Vulture’s peak, where Buddha used to give his sermons. Just 15 km to the north is Nalanda, the famed site of an ancient university. This important seat of learning was founded by Kumara Gupta in 5th century and reigned in glory for 700 long years. Its downfall Page 9 of 11

came with the invasion by Bhaktiyar Khilji. The excavations conducted by archeological Survey of India have opened up the remains of six temples and 11 monasteries spread over an area of one square kilometre. The most imposing structure is the huge triangular stupa with stairs surrounded by smaller temples with well carved figures. During its hey days the university had about 2000 students, some of them from as far as China. The great scholars here taught various subjects from theology, grammar and astronomy to medicine and philosophy. The entire site with a neatly planned row of cells amidst green lawns is not only appealing, but takes one back to the bygone days. The archeological museum with a number of small buddhist statues and other artifacts found during excavations is quite closeby. A memorial wall built in honour of the Great traveller, Hieun Tsang who visited here in 7th century is a latter day monument. From the trail of historic monuments, we moved on to Pawapuri, the most sacred pilgrimage of the Jains. The chief attraction here is the Jal Mandir, a beautiful symmetrical temple on a lake. It was here that Lord Mahavira, the 24th Thirthankara attained nirvana. The temple has the other name, Apapapuri, meaning the town without sins. Legend has it that after ceremonial rites of Mahavira were performed, the ashes were taken by the devotees. The great influx of pilgrims continuously removing the soil resulted in a large tank all around. Another religious shrine we visited was the Samosharan from where the Lord is said to have given discourses. It is a small white marble temple with a series of concentric pedestals one above the other and with exquisitely carved images in small chambers. Deeply impressed by Buddhist monasteries, ancient monuments and Jain temples we signed off our sojourn to the Golden Triangle. FACT FILE How to get there: Patna is a good base to start with and is well connected by rail, road and air

with major towns. Around 90 km from Patna is Nalanda from where Rajgir is 15 km south and Pawapuri is 30 km east. Where to stay: Bihar tourism hotels and budget hotels at Nalanda and Rajgir. Dharmashalas at Pawapuri. Tips: Engaging a guide at Nalanda and Rajgir would be useful. Link for Detail

Patna City soaked in history What connects Carolina in the U.S., Scotland and Bihar? The answer is not easy. The connection is Patna; more precisely it is the Patna rice. Many may be familiar with the long grain and aromatic Basmati rice. Equally long and mildly aromatic the rice grown in the fertile Gangetic plains of Bihar and specifically around Patna is known as the Patna rice. Some claim that this strain is one of the oldest rice varieties grown on the earth. According to Buddhist legends, Fa Hein's travel writings and records of Abul Faizal there is mention about this special rice. It is believed that this rice was taken to the U.S. in the 17th century and grown in Carolina. Till date the Carolina rice is one of the most popular varieties in that country. In Scotland, there is a small village named Patna. William Fullerton, who made large sums of money selling Patna rice, established this town in the 19th century. He thankfully remembered his productive stay in India by naming the newfound village Patna. More than rice But it's not just the rice; Patna is a city known for other rich legacies. It is known by many names, the most famous being Pataliputra. It is on the banks of the Ganga and in its vicinity three more rivers Ghagra, Sone and Gandak , converge. Buddhism and Jainism flourished in this place and Guru Gobind Singh was born here. It was the seat of the Mauryas and two legendary kings Chandra Gupta Maurya and Ashoka ruled this place. The city has been inhabited for centuries together without a break. In 1912, it became the capital of the combined province of Orissa and Bihar and from 1935 till now that of Bihar. Patna is richly endowed with architecture from the

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British period — the Museum, High Court, Rajbhavan and the Assembly are some of them. Golghar, is the most famous of the monuments. This is a large circular egg-like structure built in 1786. It is about 29 m high and 3.5 m wide and was built to store grain, which was to be distributed during famine. Patna is not just about rice and famine. It is the land of Madhubani paintings, Obra carpets, Sujini quilts and Khatwa appliqués. Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili are some of the languages spoken in this region. Champaran Movement Gandhiji wrote that Champaran was the turning point of his life. Champaran is a small village about 300km from Patna. It is here that Gandhiji for the first time experimented with the Satayhagraha movement and successfully freed the peasants from the oppressive Indigo cultivators. Gandhiji established an ashram here at a place called Motihari and strived for the uplift of the poor villagers. Link for Detail

Highlights of group activities Active member Naveen sharma met CM Bihar and given presentation on ambitious multipurpose tourism parks at Buddhist locations. For detail information contact Naveen Sharma, Bangalore ( [email protected] ) Bihari group members held a group meting in Bangalore and decided to organize career counseling for Bihari students, Group members have prepared a multipurpose career brochure. This brochure will be distributed in Bihar. Members are willing to respond all career related queries by students in Bihar. It has been decided that all interested members will put their mail ids in our multipurpose career brochure. Link for Brochure

Media Watchdog for Bihar

Contribution:

I am Not sure if you've come across it but there are a team of guys who have got their names from 3rd Century characters and now blogging against media who writes against Bihar. Check this out for yourself at http://www.mediaombudsman.blogspot.com/

Saroj Kumar, US

IMHO our time has come. Pls pass the word around and let the people know that Biharis are not going to keep quite anymore. I am sure the day will come when "Oye Bihari" will be replaced by "Wow Bihari" Disclaimer: We don’t know the real people behind the scene and hence cannot comment on their real identities.

[email protected] Ashok Sharma, Nokia Hyderabad [email protected] Arun Bhai Patel, Japan [email protected] Santosh Sharma [email protected] Abhishek Parasar, Bahrain [email protected] Rajesh Ranjan Aztec Bangalore [email protected]

Acknowledgement Any accomplishment requires the effort of many people and this work is not different. We would like to thank all, especially moderators whose patience and support was instrumental in accomplishing this task.

Samir Kumar Mishra, Australia [email protected] Naveen Sharma, Bangalore [email protected]

Contents of e-newsletter are result of collection from various sourced, such as e-news magazines e-news sites. Unfortunately, sources were not always available hence it becomes impractical to provide an accurate acknowledgement.

Sanjeev Kumar, Oracle Bangalore

Regardless of the source, we wish to express our gratitude to those who may have contributed.

Vivek Kumar, NCR Hyderabad

[email protected] Amol Deep, Infosys Pune [email protected] [email protected]

E-newsletter Team www.bihari.org http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bihari

Non commercial - Non political - Open forum Join us for Better Bihar & Jharkhand

Post news of Hope & proud on: [email protected]

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