It has been my way of enjoying life at this age when I hardly do anything.

A telephone call from my home town of Sasaram excited me. Golu was the creator of the news of excitement. Golu is son of Ramesh, my cousin from maternal side and the eldest son of my most respected maternal uncle. Golu got qualified to go into IIT and he got placed at rank 209. Unfortunately, Ramesh though a master in science, is just marginally employed.

But then a well-done story giving the background of some of the star candidates of Anand appears in the national news magazine. Most of them are from the very low earning families, but interested in making a mark. Anand the mathematician, magician, humanist, or all in one facilitated them to get into coveted IITs. And he is doing that year after year. I don’t know why he didn’t aspire to become as rich as many running the coaching enterprises in every small and big towns of India, Kota being the most famous. Anand today has become global known celebrity? Is Anand not a good candidate for Padma award? Should Bihar not be proud of Anand and Avayanand, the IPS who parted last year? Avayanand has been now doing the similar coaching for the student of the minority in Bihar through Ahamadia foundation.

Bihar has been known only for the wrong things, be it for Lulu’s funny acts, the kidnapping industry, or corrupt and inefficient officers. But here was an officer who has created history of a sort. Pratyaya Amrit heads a state enterprise, the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) that is creating record as PSU. BRPNNL completed 336 bridges in the last three years alone. It was a great performance as the Nigam had constructed 314 bridges during 30 years. Pratyaya is running the Nigam as one of the best CEOs runs with all the management practices employed these days to motivate the employees to perform the best. Why can’t the other IAS take some lessons from Pratyaya? Why do most of them make accumulating money as the only mission of the life? Pratyaya can make anyone proud with his performance.

But how can I forget to mention about the Haryana-cadre IAS officer Ajit Joshi, coming from the state of Maharashtra of Raj Thackray. Joshi inspired the people of Sonepat, a district know for their miserly ways and raised Rs 1.4 crore as donations to rebuild a Koshi-ravaged village populated by the extreme backward community of Musahars (rat-eaters). Why can Raj and others who spread divisive hatred among the Indians get some lessons from Ajit?

And then I also come across the news of Nitish taking lead over rivals to perpetuate his rule through one of the master strokes for which he has become famous. How can his decision for the reservation in the state judiciary be push the state above other state? How long Nitish can keep on blaming Lalu’s misrule for the ranking of Bihar among the miserable states? Nitish is certainly relatively better. But couldn’t he do much more on development? Should I celebrate Nitish’s reservation in state judiciary? Will it help any way to alleviate the miserable conditions of the deprived lots of Bihar?