There has always been a joke about bumping into Malayalis in any part of the world, why even in Moon and Mars. That credit (or is it discredit?) should now legitimately go to the Biharis, or atleast they should share it with the Malayalis. Why they have now become such a ubiquitous presence across the country, if not the globe, is evident to naked eye, as one travels through the greenfields of Bihar. Having traversed over a thousand kms. in these last few days, one has got to see just about a couple of factories, out of which one is shut. There simply is no other alternative employment to agriculture or petty business, for the poor or even the lower middle classes. The clamour for government jobs, even if it is that of an attender or a peon or a police constable or a jawan in the army, is not a matter of choice, but a necessity. Result—- the mass exodus of the Biharis to other parts of the country and world to earn a livelihood.

But this exodus in search of employment comes with a heavy price for the poor masses that turn to abominably low paid jobs across the country—- their self respect and self pride. No one embodies this phenomenon of hurt pride and self respect, than Ram Sewak Yadav. A 20 something youth, from the backwaters of Jhanjharpur in Madhubani district, his travails in search of a decent job has taken him from a modest hut in his village, where eight persons of his family live, to Himachal, Chandigarh, Delhi, Surat and a few more places already, over the last 12 years. He has finally returned to his village and is trying to settle down having started a small business of selling fruits at an intersection on the Jhanjharpur—Darbanga road.

“I had to return because everywhere I went I was being exploited. And worse we were ill-treated and beaten up by locals. I felt what’s the use of living such a life of complete lack of self respect and dignity. When I started earning Rs.2,400 in a job in Delhi, the owner kept on taunting me he was paying me too much and got rid of me. Earlier in Surat, when I started earning Rs.3,000, the owner felt it was too much, and taunted me out of the job”. He is not sure how long he will be able to eke out a living in his native village. “But it is ok, I am doing business now, and earn anywhere between Rs.50 to 200 per day. I don’t know what the future holds for me”, he adds with an air of resignation developed obviously through his life experiences at such a young age.

The story of Ram Sewak reflects the story of Bihar’s marginalized youth whom one finds scattered across the nook and corner of the country. The criminal neglect by succeeding Governments and political parties in creating alternative sources of employment for its citizens is appalling. The population explosion (over 9 crores now) has only added to the pressure on land, which though extremely fertile is simply unable to bear this burden, forcing the youths to venture out seeking a living however humiliating it is.

In this scenario has emerged a ray of hope on the horizon of Bihar’s politics, over 300 kms.away from Ram Sewak. Prakash Jha. A “restless soul”, as one of his associates described him, has right from his young age when he dropped out of Delhi University, waded his way through life experimenting before emerging as a film maker with one of the most powerful ways of story telling, especially of his native Bihar and all its complexities and criminalities.

Now a candidate of Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Jana Shakti Party (LJPS), he has returned to his native West Champaran to prove to himself more than anyone else that just making meaningful films will not solve the problems of the people.

“This is the reality—- electoral politics and power—- not films”, he says in the midst of campaign, standing in a verdant Greenfield with a pond in the middle, somewhere about 20 kms from Bettiah. This is the not the first time he has embarked on attaining power. In 2004 he had contested from the same constituency, as an independent, only to lose. But that only helped him to strengthen his resolve. Soon after the defeat he embarked on a series of projects in his home district, which has made him a household name, across the length and breadth of the constituency. His project to clean up the Government hospitals in Bettiah, Motihari and Ruxaul and its surroundings, where decades of filth had accumulated, earned him instant appreciation and admiration. His decision to have his men man the hospitals and be of help to the poor, and getting repaired the life saving equipments there, has only added to the awe and respect he has gained.

Meanwhile, when Kosi, the river, opened up and spread disaster across the north east Bihar, last August, hundreds of kms. from his home turf, he and his volunteers were there to provide succour to the destroyed homeless. He continues to run a relief camp for over 6,000 people there and is embarking on rehabilitation of their ravaged villages, raising funds from India and abroad.

But this is just a tip of the iceberg. His firm belief that nothing will change in Bihar if wealth is not created, and the concomitant effect of employment generation is something the State is not only hearing but also seeing for the first time, probably.

What is his motivation to acquire power? “To have access to resources and to bring in more investment is my sole motivation to become an MP.” In fact he has not waited to become one. He has already walked his talk by embarking on setting up a sugar factory near Bettiah, the first since independence, where hundreds will not only find jobs, but thousands of farmers will be able to sell their sugarcane crop. The factory is being set up with his own funds. It took him a major effort to overcome red tape as well as attempts of sabotage by his political rivals, before he could start work. He has already set up a seed farm on a 150 acre plot in the constituency, and is planning a series of multiplexes and malls as well as agricultural malls, not just in his constituency but across Bihar. “I am trying to prove to outside investors that there is an investment opportunity here, by using my own funds”, he points out.

After having woven stories of his native Bihar on the screen with such telling effect, this film-maker turned politician, though not of the conventional variety, is out to prove that the State can also be an economic powerhouse, provided it understands how to create wealth. A paradigm change indeed from the politics of caste, crime and corruption that the State has known for so long. If he succeeds, electorally, it may just be the much-needed trigger which the State very badly needs to get out of its state of despair. “Win or lose, I am here for good”, Jha however promises. Maybe there is still hope for the multitude of toiling Ram Sewaks across the country.