Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Patna: Travel to rural Bihar and Jharkhand, and you can't miss one of these. No, It's not merely a rural gathering, but a 10-day long cattle fair right on the Jharkhand-Bihar highway.
A school premise is the venue for the event and people from over 40 villages have travelled for for almost two days to camp here.
They say they have come to the fair from far off villages to buy and sell things. They also add that they have progresses as a community with things like better roads and access to telephones.
In sharp contrast to this fair of cattle traders is rural tribal Bihar and sadly one does not need to look too far from the highway to see villages which have never seen power, drinking water facilities or healthcare.
What's worse is that the villagers in such villages have no jobs to speak of. They don't have basic amenities like organised colonies and hand pumps for water. They say that no one asks them what they need and that the Government or any authority has never come forward to help them or their children.
Little wonder then that many from rural Bihar escape to cities and towns in neighbouring states to find ways to sustain themselves.
A large part of rural Bihar is still waiting for better infrastructure facilities, more employment opportunities, and for the big Indian economic boom to reach it.
And until that boom touches their lives starvation and poverty will rule to ensure their plight worsens.
A school premise is the venue for the event and people from over 40 villages have travelled for for almost two days to camp here.
They say they have come to the fair from far off villages to buy and sell things. They also add that they have progresses as a community with things like better roads and access to telephones.
In sharp contrast to this fair of cattle traders is rural tribal Bihar and sadly one does not need to look too far from the highway to see villages which have never seen power, drinking water facilities or healthcare.
What's worse is that the villagers in such villages have no jobs to speak of. They don't have basic amenities like organised colonies and hand pumps for water. They say that no one asks them what they need and that the Government or any authority has never come forward to help them or their children.
Little wonder then that many from rural Bihar escape to cities and towns in neighbouring states to find ways to sustain themselves.
A large part of rural Bihar is still waiting for better infrastructure facilities, more employment opportunities, and for the big Indian economic boom to reach it.
And until that boom touches their lives starvation and poverty will rule to ensure their plight worsens.
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