YOUNG BIHAR

MOVEMENT
Capability for Dignity, Voice for Brilliance

PRE-MANIFESTO

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 Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very heaven!
- William Wordsworth
(French Revolution, 4 Jan 1810)1

The Chariot of Revolution: Journey Begins

The Young Bihar Movement is a socio-economic, cultural and political revolution to be flamed up on the
land of Bihar and in the minds of its people wandering for dignity across the globe. As John O’Sullivan
(1837) envisaged for the Young America Movement, it is a revolution in which ‘all history is to be re-
written; the whole scope of political science and moral truth have to be considered; and all old subjects of
thought and all new questions arising, connected more or less directly with human existence, have to be
taken up again and re-examined’.2 In this way, the Young Bihar Movement is a quest for rediscovering the
ideals of Ramayana in society, the reforms of Arthashastra in economy, the scientific temperament of
Aryabhatiyam in culture and the rule of Dhamma in political administration. These are going to be the four
wheels of Young Bihar chariot on which the new-age revolution will begin its journey commanding the
twin horses of historical materialism and scientific spiritualism.

The Wheel of Social Revolution: From Discrimination to Dignity

When the legendary poet of Ramayana was creating the thrilling world of a warrior prince and an intelligent
princess in the dense forest of present day Valmikinagar, he described the maryada (ideals) maintained in
the contemporary society.3 These were not merely the ideals of social equality in the state governed by
prince (Ramrajya) but also the freedom of expression against gender discrimination advocated by the
feminists like Gargi and Maitreyi in the city of princess.4 In fact, these were the elements of human dignity
and social empowerment for which Lord Buddha fought and preached throughout his life. However, it is
not only a matter of reflection in the glorified past, but also to look forward towards a futuristic society
which would not believe in caste, class and gender discrimination as we have seen in our lifetime in the
western hemisphere of the globe where black, white and brown men and women, all can sit and talk together
over a coffee of joy. The Young Bihar Movement aspires to place that coffee table in Bihar on which four
young ladies of different caste and class would be busy in arguing the development model of the state while
being served by a gentleman barista. Thus, the proposed social revolution will believe in identifying its
fellows with their names and not surnames. No job would be good or bad because of the related social
labels. Accordingly, the practices of social inheritance based or so-called higher or lower caste and class
and also patriarchal custodianship regarding women and girls are to be rejected. The dignity of human being
and the value of life regardless of caste and creed will be the sole criteria of new social order for which the
idea of economic entrepreneurship of every individual shall be promoted.

1
William Wordsworth, The Friend, 1815
2
John L. O’Sullivan, Democratic Review, Washington, 1837
3
Valmiki, Ramayana, 6-128-99
न पय$दव
े ि)वधवा न च -ालकृ तं भयम् ।
न -ािधजं भयन् वािप रामे रा9यं :शासित ।।
[While Rama was ruling the kingdom, there were happy families, there were no widows to lament, nor there was no danger from wild animals, nor
any fear born of diseases.]
4
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Chandogya Upanishad

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The Wheel of Economic Revolution: From Curse to Capability
A long time ago when the first kingdom of Indian sub-continent was established in Bihar, its political
philosophy ascertained that good governance and righteousness in society can only be achieved with
finance and money (dharmasya moolam artham).5 It was the economic doctrine of Arthashastra under
which the resource curse of the state was identified. The unused abundance of fertile lands and mineral
mines were converted into cultivable farms and industrial inputs to make the Mauryan Empire a resource
surplus state. However, in the present times, we are tired of hearing the stereotypical stories of abundant
potential of agriculture and agro-based industries in the state without any tangible output in the seven
decades of political freedom. Why Bihar has been made a helpless captive of an economic curse? Why
agriculture productivity of the state is still one-third of the national average and one-tenth of the world
average despite having the most fertile farms on the planet? Why an irrigation project takes forty years time
to complete when the agriculture dependent state has the lowest per capita income in the world? The Young
Bihar Movement promises to raise the basic questions of Economics and Public Policy and pledges to
transform the doomed economic scenario. The model of economic revolution will be based on the
Capability Approach of development instead of government induced growth model so that the collective
human capital — including that deployed in making the alien economies prosperous from Delhi to Dubai -
can be transformed into the socio-economic capital of Bihar. The growth engine of this economy shall not
be based on the misdirected expenditure on the porous government contracts and swelled roadmaps but
solely on the real output of world-average farming, agro-industries, marketing entrepreneurship and
innovative start-ups. The idea would be to harness every bit of hard-working intelligence of Bihar for which
the state is known since centuries.

The Wheel of Cultural Revolution: From Backwardness to Brilliance

Almost 1500 years ago, when a 23-year-old science student of Patna discovered that the sun is the centre
of solar-system and zero is the most important number of mathematics, the scientific intellect of Bihar
started travelling on a long illustrious journey. From the times of genius Aryabhata, who also shaped the
premier Nalanda University as a world-class institution under his chancellorship, the scientific awareness
and cultural consciousness of an individual Bihari student have always been acknowledged as indomitable
forces to reckon with. However, as a collective knowledge-based society, the state of Bihar has failed itself
with the never ending dark-age of declining education system. The adjective of Bihari has become a
synonym for absurdity thanks to the inefficient administration of elementary and higher education resulting
in lowest literacy rate, highest drop-out and fake toppers. In fact, despite few individual brilliances where
sometimes examinees were even better than their examiners, Bihar has never seen a collective cultural
renaissance in the past 1000 years which could have produced hundreds of Valmikis, Kautilyas and
Aryabhatas. The Young Bihar Movement desires to lead such a cultural revolution which shall re-establish
the modern cultural supremacy of the state all over the world, not only limited to ancient glorification which
would only be preserved in old textbooks and swanky museums. The whole education system to be
revamped while giving their administration in the hands of qualified educationists and the ecosystem of
research and development to be recreated while ensuring return value for the higher education. However,

5
Kautilya, Chanakya Sutra, 1-6
सुख?य मूलं धम$ः।
धम$?य मूलं अथ$ः।
अथ$?य मूलं रा9यं।
[The root of happiness is Dharma (ethics, righteousness), the root of Dharma is Artha (economy, polity), the root of Artha is right governance]

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the ultimate goal of this cultural movement shall not be limited to produce scholars and scientists but also
to nourish and flourish and giving equal credit to the talents of thousands of artists, musicians, singers,
rappers, painters, fashion models and even you-tubers who will transform the dull, tired and backward
narrative of the so-called BIMARU state into a vibrant, enthusiastic and brilliant future of world leadership.

The Wheel of Political Revolution: From Vice to Voice

This is hard to believe, particularly in the context of post-independence politics of Bihar, that it is the same
state where once ‘the beloved of gods' had governed and established the rule of dhamma (policies of public
welfare).6 Emperor Ashoka was not only the greatest of all kings but he was also the biggest facilitator of
the social, economic and cultural transformation of his times. If administrators like him and Sher Shah Suri
are credited with the establishment of welfare state in which everything was of people and for people, the
recent political regimes of Bihar have established a draconian state in which everything is of government
(politicians), by government (bureaucrats) and for government (contractors). Completely based on the vices
of clientelism and favouritism, this governance model has been formed to pursue the interests of corrupt-
unqualified political class, incompetent-insensitive bureaucracy and dishonest-greedy contractual system.
The Young Bihar Movement feels the necessity of a new-age political revolution which shall be based on
the essential ingredients of competence, integrity and empathy towards public need. A modern generation
of political leadership who possess the vision of “what is to be done”, the knowledge for “how is it to be
done” and high ethics of justice for “who should benefit” is required urgently in the state. A revolution that
rejects old stereotypical thinking, hysterical decision-making and trial-error methods of governance on one
side and dynastic and nepotism-based politics on the other side. This is a now or never situation for Bihar
when the voices of young and talented minds are required to be heard. Hence, the Young Bihar Movement
shall undertake the challenge of political uprising to bring the social, economic and cultural turnaround of
the state in which a human being shall not be considered merely a ‘means’ but an ‘end’ in itself for
development and transformation.7

The Chariot of Revolution: Journey Continues

The journey of Young Bihar Movement will be a committed and tireless effort. It is well aware of ‘whatever
the past generation of statesmen, law-givers and writers was capable of and what they attained, what they
failed to attain, but this is for sure that our duty and our destiny is another from theirs’.8 This is a new
generation which aspires and thus demands change in Bihar NOW and not in a distant future. The movement
has, therefore, consciously borrowed its name from the forefathers of Young Italy, Young America, Young
Europe and even Young Bengal movements to understand the burden of history and the responsibility of
destiny before rewriting the fortunes of Bihar. So, let us revolutionise our state, let us be a revolutionary!
If not now, then when?

6
Kautilya, Arthashastra, 1/19
:जा सुखे सुखं राD: :जानां च िहते िहतम्।
नाFमि:यं ि:यं राD: :जानां तु ि:यं ि:यम्॥
7
Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, 1785
8
Cornelius Mathews, 1845

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