(Author's Note: Elections are here so it is only proper that we remind ourselves that we are a democracy.)

राजा विक्रम चुपचाप उठा और श्मशान की ओर चल दिया। महल के सभी पहरेदार सो रहे थे पर शहर के सारे चोर जाग रहे थे. राजा को श्मशान पहुँचने की जल्दी थी इसलिए उसने उस समय कोई करवाई करना मुनासिब नहीं समझा। सोचा आखिर प्रकारांतर से सारा माल तो सरकारी ख़ज़ाने में पहुँच ही जायेगा.

In this dynamic world we get to know about record breaking achievements by one or the other person in their respective field. Few months back there was wide media coverage of M.C.Marycom, the woman boxer for winning another big title. It is really heartening that good number of sportspersons have been proving their real talent in international sports events.

With the announcement of the state election in three phases, Bihar is poised to have a new Vidhan Sabha (the Lower House of the provincial Legislature). According to the Election Commission of India -- the single federal authority in-charge of nation-wide elections (unlike the USA) -- the first day of the poll, 28 Oct 2020, will cover 16 districts (71 constituencies). The second round of the election will be conducted on 3 Nov 2020 covering 17 districts (94 constituencies) and the final poll on 7 Nov 2020 will wrap up the remaining 78 constituencies in 15 districts.

Remember the 2005 Bihar Vidhan Sabha election that brought Nitish Kumar to power. That election was fought on the plank of ‘Law-and-Order’ against a protracted 15-year long ‘Jungle Raj’ under the Lalu-Rabri dispensation. People didn’t care as much about the economy and healthcare in the state of Bihar.

On 20 August 2020, in the ‘Readers Write’ section of this newspaper, Shahrukh Khan, a writer from Araria, Bihar, raised very interesting but pressing questions on religion. The very fact that he’s concerned about the Bihari society and the ill impact of ‘organized religion’ on it makes him a worthy son of Bihar and we must admire his efforts at inviting everyone for a discussion around the topic of faith, religion and politics.

Dr. Binoy Prasad, PD Guest Contributor.

I’m pleased to note that this is going to be my 100th write up in the column designated for me on the PatnaDaily news portal. This milestone was achieved in the course of almost six years for which I sincerely compliment Shri Sunil Sinha, the founder-editor, whom I haven’t met in person up until now, and his dedicated team working in the challenging conditions of the city of Patna, Bihar (India).

Renowned celebrities and social figures are followed by their fans for the popularity they acquire by dint of their hard work and long drawn out struggle to make a mark in the society they live in. They are in a way sometimes called Icons of that society. Their lifestyle, way of working, approach towards life, etc. bear a deep impact on their followers and the people who like them the most.

Just a thought occurred that in 2019, India must have celebrated the 100th anniversary of the famous Khilafat movement (1919-24), an international campaign to restore the post of the Caliph abolished as a consequence of the collapse of the Ottoman empire (1908-22).

Coincidentally, this winter, Donald Trump in the USA and Nitish Kumar in Bihar will seek people’s mandate for another term in their office. If Trump wins, he will finish his constitutionally restricted second and final term in 2024. He cannot go for more than two terms or 8 years.

Following 12 consecutive nights of protests in the wake of George Floyd’s police-involved death in Minneapolis, the demonstrators in Seattle, Washington, did something similar to what the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters did at the Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi early this year.

Take yourself back into the 6th Century and imagine the greatest of the Byzantine Emperors, Justinian I (482-565) building an imposing church, Hagia Sophia (meaning “Holy Wisdom” in Greek), in Constantinople, the heart of Orthodox Christianity. Completed in 537, the majesty and grandeur of Hagia Sophia was comparable to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem or to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Crisis of Covid-19 has, if not entirely, but partially changed our living habits more especially habits relating to food consumption. Since moving out from homes is almost controlled due to lockdowns and curfews, you may not take the risk of going out to a restaurant to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner now. You have to remain contained with what is cooked and served to you at home. Ordering food from outside, too, involves high risk and is not advisable.