What do people of Bihar want in the present election? A one crore rupee question, indeed, if it was asked on Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan�s KBC(Kaun banega crorepati, for the uninitiated).
Having spent a little over 24 hours and travelling for over half a day into north west Bihar, through Hajipur, Chapra and now in Siwan, one cannot call oneself an expert or even attempt to find satisfying answers to the one crore question. Bihar, as the late social scientist, Arvind Das had famously said, �is not a state, but a state of mind�. And one is only trying to get into that state of mind, as one travels, talking to ordinary people.

Take some of these facts which have emerged during these last 24 hours. Asked how long it would take to travel from Patna, the capital city to Chapra( lok Sabha constituency renamed as Saran now from where Lalu Yadav is contesting), we had varied responses. One said, four hours, other said maximum two hours, someone else was not sure. The distance is only around 70 kms. Ultimately it took us somewhere between the two estimates. Reason for this confusion among the people is the state of roads.

Roads or rather its condition has become a constant topic of discussion among all classes of people. Unlike in 2005, when one was here last, there is a discernible element of optimism which has replaced despair. Road conditions have certainly improved, or that is what people of Bihar think. One should however not use parameters of say a Gujarat or Rajasthan or Maharashtra or a Karnataka, when one talks of improved road conditions here. If you measure by its own standards, roads have improved. But roads are still single lane, and of uneven bounce (to use a cricketing terminology) and dozing off on long drives is an hazardous occupation. But the fact that vehicles can move faster without having to wade through more pits than roads is certainly an improvement. Cheers to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, people say, and who are we to challenge it!

But there are skeptics who point out that in many places roads are sinking fast( which it is on empirical evidence) and a couple of good rains should revert them back to the old state. Most likely, as one saw the good old roads of erstwhile Bihar suddenly popping up on the Chapra-Siwan stretch, as the driver tries to keep control over the violently swinging Tata Sumo. But people are happy yet, so far so good, they say. And who are we to challenge it?

If that is the condition of the much-talked about roads, the �sa� of the famous Bi-pa-sa acronym, now to �bi�, meaning the bijli( electric power). It was shocking to find that most of Bihar, certainly areas travelled in the last 24 hours get power only for about 4 hours in a 24 hour cycle! And what is more shocking is that people don�t talk about it with either frustration or disgust, forget anger. Only on prodding does this fact emerge. Take for instance the villagers of Dharampur and Badalpur, about ten kms. before Chapra. It was after nearly half an hour of interaction with varied age groups of villagers, that this fact emerge that they have had no power connection in both villages, for the last one year!!! Many visits to the Electricity board office have drawn a blank. But there is no sense of outrage; rather an air of resignation prevails. �What can we do, we have tried everything�, is the chorus.

The business community manages with diesel generators and inverters, which incidentally is one of the roaring businesses in the State, if anybody is thinking of getting into business in Bihar.

And the domestic consumers? �Well we use petromax and lanterns�. Incidentally, lantern is no wonder the election symbol of Lalu Yadav�s Rashtriya Janata Dal. In other parts of the country it may be smirked at, but here, it is a way of life you see, and easily identifiable.

One perceptive journalist from Patna, with wisdom acquired over the years of working in the State, asks, �have you ever heard the MPs of Bihar staging a dharna or walk out from the Parliament, demanding adequate power supply, or for thermal power stations or whatever?� In fact come to think of it, we haven�t. He also points out that three thermal power stations have closed down in the last 15 years, and no attempt made to revive it.

As far as hydro power projects are concerned, it does not figure in any discussions or debates. Apparently gradient is a problem. No more discussion please!

Talking of water, where else can you find such greenery in the plains across the country in the month of April? But Bihar has such vast expanse of greenery even in these dry months, because there is so much water around. But guess what? Even in Patna, where the Ganga flows in its neighbourhood, drinking water is a problem, and is generally drawn from underground resources. And again nowhere is it a topic of discussion. People seem to be quite happy.

As far as education is concerned, there is a huge sense of optimism there too. For a state with less than 50 percent literacy, it is a giant leap to find schools functioning and teachers being found in it. Thousands of teachers have been appointed in the last three years or so. It is another matter that some of them, as one travelling medicine wholesaler, said �do not even know ABC�. But kids are happy to find teachers in their schools. In fact it has brought about a mini-revolution of sorts, as money flow in the rural areas has improved. �A family which had no income, now has even three to four persons employed as teachers and the family income rising to Rs.20,000 to 25,000 per month�, a villager in Chapra points out.

So is the case with the health services. People are happy to find doctors and nurses in government dispensaries and hospitals even in rural areas, which earlier used to have an air of haunted buildings. It is another matter that medicines supposed to be distributed to people free, still find their way to private chemists. Yet it is a great leap to get atleast some medical attention.

No wonder there is almost an air of optimism and hope all around, about the �development� which has taken place in the last few years, especially since the advent of the Nitish Kumar headed coalition government. But it is not that they attribute all the �development� to him. Most people one talked to, from a villager to a townsman, are aware of what schemes are central schemes and which ones are State�s. Yet, Nitish gets most credit. Why? Well, why were these central schemes not implemented earlier, is the refrain. No point in arguing that some of these schemes did not exist, earlier.

Lalu Yadav�s record of development is naturally compared, and reviled. But it is also acknowledged that he is has done dramatic things for the State as a Railway Minister. And maybe there lies the secret behind this strange sense of optimism and hope. Is this the way forward for the Biharis? Early days yet, one should say, as jumping to conclusions can be hazardous. There is much to be seen and understood in the next few days, about what the people of Bihar want.