Inside a village in Bihar

When silence becomes normal, injustice becomes tradition." Durgapur, a village in Bihar, silently carries this reality every single day. It is not just a rural village, but a mirror of political failure. It looks peaceful from the outside, but this peace is not harmony, it is the result of long-term neglect. It is a village with partial resources secured for the upper class. People’s voices have been neglected. The hierarchy here is not only social, it is political. The distance between people is created not only by old customs but also by weak government and poor representation. For decades, political speeches have entered the village, but political changes have not. Even development has a caste. Roads are built up to certain houses. Electricity reaches certain lanes. Government workers shake hands with certain surnames. Schemes for the poor arrive only a few times through the hands of the powerful. Elections come with excitement, posters, slogans, and promises, but once votes are collected, the village becomes silent again. That silence is not peace, it is political exclusion.

One of the most silent realities in Durgapur is that discrimination does not always come from the top; it also exists within the lower sections of society itself. People who face exclusion sometimes create exclusion for those who are considered even “below” them. There are layers within layers.

Children go to school, but education is not the same for all. Some sit with confidence, others sit quietly at the back. I could see the interest of students to study further, but schools struggle with broken walls, shortage of teachers, nearby colleges, transport facilities, and irregular classes. Panchayat leaders change, district officials change, slogans change, but the structure remains the same. The centre of power remains fixed. In the name of tradition, inequality is protected. In the name of democracy, hierarchy is continued.

In most of the families, those who don't have any income source or land, women contribute the most to village life as their husbands have to work in cities as labourers to provide for the family. Talking to one lady there, she speaks with hope: “I am uneducated, but I will educate my children for as long as they wish to learn. I want my son to become an IAS officer so that he can pull us out of this hardship.” They wake up before sunrise, work till night, carry water, cook, take care of animals, raise children, but their voice rarely enters political spaces.

A village progresses only when decision-making moves from the hands of the few to the hands of all. Bihar has a long history of fighting for political recognition, from movements on land rights to movements on caste inequalities, but in many villages today, struggle is replaced by quiet acceptance. In the name of peace, hierarchy is allowed to survive. In every election season, political workers come, shake hands, distribute pamphlets, touch people’s feet, promise roads, jobs, bridges, water supply, and after votes are counted, the political distance returns.

The government is not entirely absent. Roads have improved, more houses have electricity, and mid-day meals reach schools. But many schemes exist only on documents and are not questioned due to lack of awareness. Many villagers say: “Sarkar ka kaagaz hum tak nahi aata.” This shows the gap between paperwork and reality. This is not ignorance, it is political exclusion, the result of hierarchy and social structure. Decisions made by the socially higher political groups are rarely questioned, and many people sometimes feel hopeless to demand change. But without public participation, real change is impossible. The village does not only need welfare schemes; it needs representation, responsibility, development, and transparency. It must reach those who are unseen and unheard. If power is linked to surnames, status, or influence, democracy becomes a formality.

Durgapur resembles many villages across Bihar and India. It reflects a truth that is often ignored, that inequality is not just cultural, it is political. It does not always survive through violence, but through discrimination and biased development. “Customs and traditions should not become chains” (Dalai Lama) that hold people back from progress and representation. The day every villager feels that their voice matters, that their questions deserve answers, and that power is not inherited but questioned — that day, democracy will truly arrive in Durgapur.