MYRIAD OF MOODS - BIHARHave you ever really felt proud to be an Indian? And when I say this I dont mean wining cricket matches proud, mind you. I mean the kind of loftiness that leaves you excited and exultant even when you stand to witness the forward marches of other countries. Has your heart ever truly swell with pride and happiness of being a part of this great nation called India? Well if no then now better than ever to experience such joy. All our answers lie in our past. People say to never look back and keep moving ahead, this is entirely a wrong advice! I say you will only lose your way if you never glance back. Your past makes you who you are today. If anything your history should prove to be a great lesson. Our great history is something to be truly proud of. We have been fed the wrong kind of history all our lives, as a result of which we tend to believe any mush outsiders, tell us.When foreigners assume absurd beliefs about India, it vexes us to no end, but how come we have similar stereotypes about our own states? Why do we always see a person not as an individual but as if he/she are the epitome of his/her community? India today has 29 states and each and every state plays the role of an organ of the human body. Just like a human body, ignoring the well-being of any of our organ could prove to be fatal. One such unnoticed state, solely based upon stereotypical discrimination is Bihar. The Saga of Bihar is something to reflect deeply upon. This single state has the antiquities to fill up pages and pages. One of the greatest Indian Empire, the Mauryan Empire, originated from Magadha in 325 BC, and had its capital in Patliputra- the modern day Patna. According to Indologist A.L. Bashram, Bihar remained an important place of power, culture and education during the next 1000 years. The Vikramshila and Nalanda Universities were among the oldest and best centres of education in ancient India (Wikipedia). Today referring to someone as Bihari means indicating the gawaar attitude of that person, given the history of the state, it is almost funny (no offence intended!). We hear a lot of talk about Bihar being lawless and corrupt. The picture of past is still lingering but people either have not seen the new Bihar (under Nitish Kumar) or are not willing to let go of the dusty old stereotypes. There was a whole feature story published in HT times Brunch about an all new and awesome Bihar and its beautiful city of Patna.If youre looking for some recognized names from Bihar then you might want to sit and read this article the whole day! For starters- how about Mahavira or Lord Buddha? Then there are aryabhata, Chanakya, Ashoka the great, need I say more? And did I mention all the awesome festivals? Some of the major local festivals celebrated are chhath, teej, etc. also after starring some of the mainstream Bollywood actors, the Bhojpuri film industry took off to rapid success leading to their visibility.While Bihar has a reputation of being backward and illiterate, a mind unclouded by judgement can see that upholding culture and language is a priority here. It is extremely impressive and refreshing to see and hear many of my friends having no trouble with Sudh Hindi. Apart from such good knowledge of Hindi, there are about five more languages used by the local people, among which Maithili was declared as a derivative of the ancient language spoken by the people of Magadha state. Instead of mocking these accents we should be proud of the diversity our country has even for a single language. Even in our film and media industries they seem to end up as labourers most of the timeIf backwardness is what worries you then fear not! Development is a natural instinct of any living being, Then why not a country or a state or even perception? A country lives and breathes like any other living being with its history echoing through ages. Hence advancement is inevitable.Behind the unnecessary barriers and concealment lies the hub and nub of culture and traditions that we are totally missing out, the beautiful handicrafts, the peaceful Bodh Gaya, the spirited folk music, and the wonderful art. So let go of your prejudices and feel the history ringing in the lands of Bihar.