Which is the one image to carry back from a visit to Bihar, a year after Lalu? It could be a snapshot capturing the general blunting of the Bihari’s daily distrust. Press the most weary cynic in town or village and hear him concede, “mahaul badla hai”, the atmosphere has changed. It’s only a flickering sense of a more engaged government, but it is there, seemingly across castes.

Or you could argue that change in Bihar is best framed by the revived discussion on its public education system. The ongoing process of large-scale appointment of teachers has stirred up the air that had long staled over the state’s primary school. Here, worn down teachers perform ‘combined’ teaching six days a week — a euphemism for one ageing man or woman ‘teaching’ all subjects to as many as five classes, simultaneously, in decrepit classrooms bare of teaching aids, erratically helped by the shiksha mitra or para teacher. There are widespread rumours of mukhiyas demanding bribes for jobs. But at last the scandal of the school is on the table. So is the breakdown in state colleges and universities. There’s been a flurry of high-level meetings on the subject.

But is New Bihar found mostly in the several deliberations of these conspicuous committees in Patna’s recently re-furnished VIP enclaves? Sheafs of press releases delivered to newspaper offices more promptly than ever before list out the committees’ achievements. And announce the arrival of a brave new state daily — Vikas ki Ganga runs through it.

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