PATNA Diary

December 15,11:The flight, despite fog and chilly weather, reached the Jayprakash Narayan Airport, Patna on time at 8.35 PM. S K Sinha, an officer of the Bihar Commercial Tax Department, had come to the airport to receive us. I noticed a red light fixed at the top of the vehicle that was to carry us to the hotel, and thought, perhaps, the officers of Bihar Commercial Tax Department used vehicle with red light. There are restrictions in use of red light. The Odisha High Court has a ruling to the effect who can use the red light and who cannot. A Parliamentary Committee has recommended that the MPs should use vehicle with red light. If they are allowed to use, their counterparts of the State Assemblies would also demand the same. To me, red light of the vehicle is a symbol of power and authority. I asked Mr Sinha, “Do your officers use vehicles with red light?”
He replied, “No, it’s for you. You are our guests… guests of the State.”
I felt flattered.

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December 16, 11: The workshop on e-Governance in VAT administration began half an hours later than the scheduled time as Sushil Modi, the Deputy Chief Minister who was to inaugurate the workshop reached late. Officers of Gujrat, Keral, Odisha and Maharastra gave their power point presentations on e-services they had implemented in their respective states. Each presentation followed a session of questions answered by the presenter. The discussions and sharing of experience were lively and enlightening. In summing up, the Deputy CM said, it was the most educative day for him in the last six years he was in office as a Minister.
The Deputy CM might have told it to please the organisers and the participants, but we believed he was honest in his remark. He sat all through the meeting from the beginning to the end. He asked questions, took notes and also clapped to appreciate a point made by a presenter. It was amazing considering his busy schedule being the Deputy CM. Bespectacled, dhoti-kurta clad, Mr Modi who is also the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of States’ Finance Ministers, gives the impression of a strict Head Master. He seems sincere and serious. As he is the Chairman of the Empowered Committee he is conscious of the onerous responsibility of implementing GST. He appears not only serious for implementing GST, but also for improving conditions in Bihar. He minced no words in his address for the officers of Bihar to work to a plan fixing deadlines for different e-services.

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December 17, 11: We had only 3-4 hours with us, provided if we could wake up early and get ready finishing our breakfast to see important sites of Patna as we had flight at 12.20 PM.
Patna’s ancient name was Pataliputra, the capital of Magadha. Ashoka, the emperor of Magadha had invaded and defeated Kilinga in the war at Dhauli in 261 BC. It is said, the war changed a Chandashoka to Dharmashoka and Ashoka not only renounced war but also any kind of violence by accepting Budhism after witnessing the horrors of Kalinga War. Later, Kharvela, the emperor of Kalinga had taken revenge by defeating the king of Magadha in the second century BC.
Historically, the relation between Magadha and Kalinga was not friendly, but the names Ashoka and Pataliputra evoke a soft feeling in the hearts. We wanted to see the places associated with Ashoka and other sites, whatever possible within the short period. Mr Sinha was willing to play host and a guide for us. He reached the hotel at 7.30 AM and by that time, we were ready. We checked out of the hotel as we decided to spend as much time as possible seeing the places without wasting our time coming back to the hotel for check out. We had decided to go straight to the airport.

We saw Kumrahar, the remains of ancient city of Pataliputra, now a beautiful park. People were seen doing morning walk braving the biting cold and thick fog. We saw the archaeological remains of Arogya Vihar, said to have been headed by Dhanvantari and a tank, believed to have existed during the days of Ashoka. From Kumrahar, we went to Agam Kuan or unfathomable well. The well is 105 feet deep, it’s circular and brick encased. It is believed, Ashoka had dug the well, used it for torturing the people; he had thrown the bodies of his ninety-nine brothers in the well after killing them. The well is in the precincts of Shitala Devi temple. People believe Maa shitala Devi cures smallpox and chickenpox. We visited Gurudwar Patna Sahib, the birth place of the tenth Guru Guru Govind Singh.

On our way from Agam Kuan to Gurudwar Patna sahib we went to the bank of river Ganga. Some constructions were going on. I saw a person sitting on a wooden cot reading a religious scripture in front of a statue of Mahavir and a Bull. It was 10 AM. He was immersed in his reading. Another person was doing some rituals in front of a human skull. A woman, perhaps his wife, was with him.
I asked Mr Sinha,“What is he doing?”
He said, “Perhaps some tantric practices.”

This kind of people always fascinates me. I become curious to know more about them. But I never get time or opportunity to fathom their beliefs and decode the mysticism.

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We said good bye to Santosh Sinha and entered into the airport at around 11.30 AM. It was displayed on the board that our flight was delayed by one hour. But some other flights were cancelled due to thick fog. The temperature in Patna was below 6 degree Celsius. We waited in the airport. But after one and half hours, the airport authority declared our flight cancelled because of thick fog and poor visibility.

We called Mr Sinha. He came immediately. He tried with his friends, connections and telephoned the commissioner to help arrange two tickets for us in any train to come to Howrha or Kolkatta. From Howrha / Kolkatta we could come to Bhubaneswar. He succeeded in arranging two confirmed tickets in Lal Quilla Express from Patna to Kolkatta. The train originating from Delhi was running late by two and half hours. The scheduled time of departure of the train at Patna was 7.35 PM.

At 8.30 PM we went to a hotel near to the railway station to eat something. My co-traveller Mr P K Patra, offering a hundred rupee note to the hotel boy, asked to bring a bottle of water. The boy, in a high-pitched voice, said, “Are you blind? Don’t you see I am baking bread?”
His manners were rough and insulting. At that time, I was attending to a call in my cell phone and speaking in Odia. A young man who was sitting on our side seat shouted back at the boy, and was about to beat him. He said to his employer, “They have come from outside. If your boys behaved in such a rude manner, what impression they would take on Bihar back to their states?”
His employer did not say anything, but the boy went himself to the nearby shop and brought one bottle of water. We paid the price of water along with the food bill after we had finished our eating.

In the morning we were discussing on the change in Bihar after Nitish Kumar had taken over the reins of power six years back.
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