I have been in Jharkhand for the past five years and in this part of the country, Patna is one place, about which every person has a different opinion. I had never got a chance to visit this city, which is of immense historical and political significance, until last Sunday.
History books say, Paliputra(now, Patna) used to be the capital of the Mauryan dynasty, which under the rule of King Ashoka had the whole of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan under its belt. Today, newspapers say, Patna ranks first in corruption, crime and is probably one of the most underdeveloped state capitals in this country. My friends say, its one city which has produced the highest number of IAS officers, IITians, Railway Ministers, criminals and where everything starting from cows to arms are traded. These all inputs just kept on increasing my eagerness to visit this city.
Last saturday, when two of my friends who are from Patna were about to leave for their homes, me and two others decided to join them. We caught a bus at around 6.30 pm and reached Patna at 5.30 am, the next day. I spent a whole day in Patna visiting places like Kumrahar, the place where remains of the Mauryan empire were found; Akal Takht, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh; Gol Ghar, a huge granary built in 1798 which could never be used because of some design faults, etc. But most importantly, had a good look at the city.
Having seen the city, now I realize why there is so much talk about the city and the people of the city. Patna, is a big city with people from all parts of Bihar coming in here for education, trade, jobs, etc. There is nothing intrinsically wrong about the city. Actually, the caste based politics in this state is the prime deterrent in the path of its progress. Successive governments supporting specific classes of the society instead of working for the society as a whole has led to rampant corruption on one hand and frustration amongst the youngsters on the other. These two things coupled together have given Patna its present shape and people have now lost hope. Its high time that the people themselves take charge and try to change the things.
History books say, Paliputra(now, Patna) used to be the capital of the Mauryan dynasty, which under the rule of King Ashoka had the whole of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan under its belt. Today, newspapers say, Patna ranks first in corruption, crime and is probably one of the most underdeveloped state capitals in this country. My friends say, its one city which has produced the highest number of IAS officers, IITians, Railway Ministers, criminals and where everything starting from cows to arms are traded. These all inputs just kept on increasing my eagerness to visit this city.
Last saturday, when two of my friends who are from Patna were about to leave for their homes, me and two others decided to join them. We caught a bus at around 6.30 pm and reached Patna at 5.30 am, the next day. I spent a whole day in Patna visiting places like Kumrahar, the place where remains of the Mauryan empire were found; Akal Takht, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh; Gol Ghar, a huge granary built in 1798 which could never be used because of some design faults, etc. But most importantly, had a good look at the city.
Having seen the city, now I realize why there is so much talk about the city and the people of the city. Patna, is a big city with people from all parts of Bihar coming in here for education, trade, jobs, etc. There is nothing intrinsically wrong about the city. Actually, the caste based politics in this state is the prime deterrent in the path of its progress. Successive governments supporting specific classes of the society instead of working for the society as a whole has led to rampant corruption on one hand and frustration amongst the youngsters on the other. These two things coupled together have given Patna its present shape and people have now lost hope. Its high time that the people themselves take charge and try to change the things.
