Oye Bihari!

“Tu Bihari jaisa sound kar rahi”

Yeah? And you sound like a colonizer with WiFi!

Let’s get this out of the way. Yes, I was born in Bihar, not as a choice or as an act of rebellion. I did not deliberately try to add spice to your casual stereotyping. I was just… born, like most people, but somehow, being Bihari turned into a full-time job interview I never applied for.

Everywhere I go, I carry this invisible stamp: Certified Bihari; may cause discomfort to your fragile misconceptions.

People hear my surname and suddenly become archaeologists. “Ohhh, you’re that caste?”
No, I’m the caste of “Please leave me the hell alone!”

And while we’re at it, I’m also an atheist. But that hasn’t stopped people from making me the poster child for every failed WhatsApp forward about cow-worshipping, temple politics, and backwardness.
Why? Because I’m from that place. Yup, you guessed it right…Bihar!

Where apparently, the only things we export are toppers, migrants, and jokes people cracked in 2009 but still find funny in Gurgaon apartments.

I didn’t choose my state, my caste, or my religion.
But I do choose not to sit quietly anymore while you giggle “Oye Bihari!” like it’s some slur-disguised-as-joke.

I’ve spent more time defending my geography than my actual personality.

Imagine being born somewhere, and then spending your adult life saying “Wait, I swear I’m not what you think I am!”
It’s like being cast in a movie you didn’t audition for and you’re always the villain or the comic relief, never the main character.

But I am the main character of MY story.

So next time you say “Oye Bihari”
Say it knowing I’ve survived judgement sharper than your overpriced beard trim.

Say it knowing I come from a land that raised resilience and revolution, not your comfort zone.

And maybe, just maybe, say it with respect.

P.S. Don’t worry, I’ll still help you with math. Just try not to flinch when I solve it faster than your prejudice can process.