Bihar is in the Eye of the Beholder

In this impressionistic and often darkly funny account of the sixteen months he spent in a small town in Bihar, Vijay Nambisan tries to understand what drives-or thwarts-perhaps the most talked about state in the Indian Union. Vicious poverty and caste wars, messy politics, corruption and lawlessness-the worst of modern India is in full display here. Yet, how different is Bihar from the rest of the country? And is it really on the brink of a spectacular collapse? Looking beyond clichés and statistics, Vijay Nambisan has produced a remarkably perceptive and balanced portrait of the ‘hole in the heart of India’.