Bihar's rich culture celebrated to in Malaysia

The vivacity of Bihar presented in the form of a colourful extravaganza of the state’s art and craft, the folk music, the impressive cultural exhibition and the unmistakably Bihari hearty laughter, all added up to provide an air of festivity at the launch of the first-ever commemoration of Bihar Diwas in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 23.

The celebration of Bihar Diwas in a way is also a self-affirmation by the state’s diaspora of its rich identity while simultaneously blending with, and celebrating the life in their country of residence, Malaysia. The organizing committee chief of Bihar Diwas, Alok Sinha, said, “We have been considering the idea of celebrating the Bihar Diwas for some years now but the impetus and the motivation from the Indian High Commission to bind the community into doing something positive for our origin and roots finally made it happen this year.”

The efforts of the Indian embassy were supported by some key figures of the thousand plus Bihar community of Malaysia, who work in Indian as well as Malaysian and international companies spread across diverse sectors from construction, IT, Railways, education and many more. “More than 200 members registered for the Bihar Diwas event and I believe this is just a beginning for us.”

Addressing the gathering, Vikram Vardhan, first secretary, (political & press), Indian High Commission, lauded the initiative of the community leaders in marking the day of great historical importance for Bihar.

He said, “While this connects our next generation to our origin, our roots, it also gives us a platform to cement our linkages with those Malaysian families with Bihar origin whose forefathers landed here in search of opportunities or were brought here to work for the British forces. It is important they learn about the richness of their culture.” Vikram also urged the community to contribute to the `Chalo India’ campaign by promoting the heritage and popular tourist destinations of Bihar amongst the Malaysians.

West Champaran MP Dr Sanjay Jaiswal joined in greeting the Bihar community virtually and expressed his joy that Bihar people in Malaysia are taking pride in their traditional values and marking the Bihar Diwas.