Patna - Over the Years

(I picked this photo from the internet, I wish I had the time to go out and click one for myself this time I visited Patna).

Patna is a quaint city( I wouldnt even call it a city, it is that small). It is the capital of a quaint state called Bihar. One of the least progressive states in the coutry. Situated on the river Ganges and one of the oldest inhabited places in the world, I have known it over the years as a place with lots of people and unplanned roads, yet I am proud of it.

The history of Patna starts from around 490BC. It has seen the Lichavis, Maurayans, the Palas, Guptas, Mughals and English to name a few.

I have seen it simmer in the summer months, freeze in the winters and flood during the monsoons. Even today when I visit Patna, I see it exactly as it was 20 years back, with the exception of a few new roads and flyovers. The mornings start early, as a huge percentage of the population is from the lower income groups and they have to struggle to make ends meet. The fact that the administration has been excessively passive and insouciant and blatantly corrupt for long years did not help us much.

People who work hard and turn around their fortunes invariably move away to greener pastures.

There are absolutely no institutions for higher studies(we had some, but with the creation of Jharkhand nothing remains). Schools I must say are very good and it is because they maintain very high standards till the higher secondary level, that a big percentage of Biharis get into the IITs and the Civil Services. Although schools take very good care that science and math skills are sharp and polished, one aspect they prove inept at training students is verbal and written communication. Very few schools have competent teachers to develop students' skills in the languages.

The roads are narrow, traffic unregulated, dust and mosquitoes abound. Vegetable vendors, flour mills, sweet sellers, shops, kirana stores, electricians, doctors, quacks have tiny little places strewn about the town. You wont find many shops selling designer and branded stuff. It is advisable to shop in bigger cities that have newer stores.

There is so much about Patna that does'nt appeal to the aesthetic senses. Yet there is so much that attracts me to it. I will not delve into all the finer strands and sinews that bind me to the place because it will take more than the space of a blog to relive and recount. Yet once you venture out into the streets, look at the setting sun, see the dew drops forming, butterflies flitting, the clear starry skies, the simple people, the tangled locks of children on the streets, the dirt, the birds flying to their nests, the beetles on the leaves, the smell of fire on a winter evening, the smoking asphalt and mirage on a summer afternoon, the huge swelling river, you will for once believe you are in a different world.