From fear to faith: How Bihar’s nights tell a new political story

Patna: The clock strikes 1am at Patna Junction and the station hums with life. Trains roll in, brakes screech, and the metallic clang of wheels fills the humid night. The announcer’s voice cuts through the noise as weary passengers — many of them women and children — spill onto the platform, dragging heavy luggage under flickering yellow lights. Outside, the chaos continues. Auto and taxi drivers crowd near the exit gates, their eyes scanning the crowd for customers, their voices rising in a chorus of calls and haggled fares. Among the late-night arrivals is Manish Kumar, 45, who has just disembarked from the LTT Rajgir Express from Mumbai. Standing near Mahavir Mandir, he strikes a deal with an auto driver to travel home, around 40km across the Ganges. “ Bihar has changed. It is no