Raag Bihari  (Hindi, Paperback, Varma Rakesh)

Biharis have proved their talent all over India. Especially when it comes to UPSC, the stature of Bihar becomes big and the name of Bihar is taken with great respect, or in other words, with great pride. 'Ek Bihari Sab Par Bhari', this phrase is prevalent all over the world, which Bihari artistes proudly say in every interview. But see the coincidence that even after having so much talent, the state of Bihar is included in the list of the most backward and most uneducated states of India. Now the question arises that what is it that this state full of talent is also living with this negative identity in India. Is there politics with Bihar? Born in Bihar, when 'Kunal' joined the job of IS, he saw the Bihar which was never decorated in words on paper. The biggest question in front of Kunal was that out of those Bihari who become IAS, how many Biharis themselves become IS by staying in Bihar and how many Biharis prefer to live in Bihar after becoming IAS. The politics of Bihar has always been maligned but Kunal also found that not only Bihar, the criteria of politics of almost every state is decided by the government sitting at the center. In some sense Bihar and Bihar's talent have been made a stigma due to casteism, high and low, mean subversion etc. Perhaps this is the reason why 'Bihari' is the only word which is used in wrong sense in some way or the other in every state of India. To find out why this is so, Kunal embarks on a new journey where an honest officer gets entangled in India's ostentatiously corrupt honest people in such a way that he starts to hate himself to some extent. Is there no politics in government jobs? What did Kunal do that his father got angry with him? Did all the problems of Kunal end after becoming a government officer? The government job took away all that is an important part of a common man's life from Kunal. But gave him all that a common man could not get even in his whole life. After all what is it? Do read this novel to know.