A calm and clear conversation with Sagar, senior staff writer at The Caravan. We speak about why Bihar is more than a broken state, how caste politics really works on the ground, and how election season gets distorted by the memification of leaders who should not be elevated in the first place. He explains the gap between lived reality and the stories told by mainstream media, the truth behind the jungle raj label, and why Bihar has been misread for so long. Tune in for a grounded look at a state that carries more history, complexity, and dignity than the usual headlines allow.
Why Bihar Is More Than Its Stereotypes with Sagar
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Alot of the provinces in the Indian Subcontinent don’t make sense.
also interesting why is West Bengal the name of the province in India but not East Punjab.
strange
I guess the Indian state is called “West Bengal” because East Bengal was in Pakistan and is now Bangladesh. They couldn’t have called the Indian state “Bengal”.
But you’re right . There is a “Punjab” in both Pakistan and India and everyone seems to be OK with that.
States reorg is usually a very good rule to align with natural boundaries
In between East Bengal was called East Pakistan:
When it was part of Pakistan, the area that is now Bangladesh was called East Pakistan. It was initially named East Bengal after the Partition of India in 1947 and was renamed East Pakistan in 1955.
Initial name: After the 1947 partition, the region was known as East Bengal.
Renaming: In 1955, under the “One Unit” policy, it was renamed East Pakistan.
Independence: East Pakistan declared independence in March 1971 and, following the Bangladesh Liberation War, became the independent nation of Bangladesh in December 1971.
Oh yes – maybe should have been called Bangistan
Because Bengal was partitioned a lot earlier than the partition of India. And the names stuck. I’m guessing Punjabis on ‘neither’ side of the Radcliffe line wanted a qualifier prefix to their home state.
Possibly
“Crisis of Secularism? Rethinking politics in Bihar & India”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8vb8eja9tM
Rightwing drift in all establishment democracies; Israel, India, Europe, the 5 Eyes..
it’s the Aging and Fear of the Other
Aging? Seems the rightwing drift is coming from the under 50 demographic.
Makes sense – want to write on Old Delhi Muslim nationalism