“I once came across a website where the word 'Bihari' had been listed as a curse word in the Hindi section. I was shocked and completely disheartened. That incident acted like an inspiration that drove me towards doing something that would change this image of my state,” says Bashshar Habibullah who then went on to launch a website named PatnaBeats with the aim of redefining Bihar.Many people across the country complain about the stereotypes and prejudices associated with Bihar and Biharis, mostly because of the way the state is portrayed in mainstream media, movies, books, etc. – the accent, the cliche about people in Bihar being not-so-refined, the association of the state with crime and only crime...the list is a long one. "I have seen many people from Bihar who reside in other states with reputed white-collar jobs. They feel ashamed of being recognized or of introducing themselves as Biharis," writes Swati Kumari, a writer with PatnaBeats. Recently, Swati along with Bashshar and their team started a very interesting campaign that has brought together many Biharis on social media, and they are trying to end the practice of Bihari being used as a derogatory word.
Named #IAmBrandBihar, the campaign has created a stir, with people from different fields of work passionately participating in it.
The aim of the campaign is to create an inclusive identity of the state and it urges people to help break stereotypes by being proud of their origin. Have a look at the amazing response:
I am a postdoc at NASA #IamBrandBihar pic.twitter.com/Q9KFFdjSf8
— Dr Nitin Kumar Singh (@nit_bioinformed) May 29, 2016
I am a Research Scholar, #iambrandbihar pic.twitter.com/psps3Ar7nE — JYOTISH KUMAR (@JyotishBHU) May 28, 2016