As Bihar continues its electoral churn, and the nation lights up in a dazzling display of festive euphoria, a devastating truth remains shrouded in darkness of Darbhanga. We went to witness Diwali among the Dom community, recognized as the poorest section and most backward community of Bihar, belonging to the Dalit caste. What we found was not a celebration, but a stark, heartbreaking indictment of neglect.
When we arrived in this neighborhood, we found that not a single diya (lamp) was burning in any house. The entire area, home to several families of the Dom community, was cloaked in darkness, even without electricity. This was not merely an isolated oversight; the residents confirmed they are in darkness even on the day of Purasi (Chhoti Diwali), with 20-30 houses spending their time without light. While the sounds of firecrackers echo nearby and other homes run more lights than usual as decorations for festivities, these humble residences stand silent and dim. This chilling dichotomy reveals the truth of this country: a place where huge sums are spent on celebrations and firecrackers, yet basic human dignity is denied to those living just yards away.
A Feast of Scraps, A Home of Leaks
The basic dignity is not only restricted to celebrations and lights, it is also about regular needs. During Diwali while most houses prepare feasts, a Dom family in the area shared that food was made in their house only after two days. Some days they have to remain hungry. Their living conditions speak of generations of deprivation. They do not possess a decent home to live in. The consequences of this structural poverty are brutal, especially during the monsoon season. When it rains, they are forced to take all the children and spend the entire night standing up in a small spot where water does not leak.
Sanitation is virtually non-existent. Lacking toilets, they resort to open defecation, traveling far away to the railway line/track for this necessity.
The residents of the Dom Community work odd jobs to earn livelihood; one said his full-time job earns him a meagre Rs 7,500. The plight of the Dom community in Darbhanga forces us to look past the veneer of festive celebration and confront the forgotten citizens who constitute Bihar’s poorest section. In this episode of Janab, Aise Kaise, we try to understand how as a nation spends money while these homes stand in total darkness, a powerful and painful reminder that some citizens are so marginalized, their struggles even on the most celebrated day of the year are completely invisible.