Lalu Prasad Yadav - Gopalganj to Raisina: My Political Journey

was at a fixed time in the evening. People waited for that time to tune in their radio sets. But they asked me to do Loha Singh whenever they saw me and I would oblige. I used to conceive tricks to make people laugh.

My witty disposition, skill of mimicry, and earthy simplicity played a bigger role than my educational record in getting me admitted to Miller High School in Patna. Unlike the primary and the middle schools where my elder brothers had taken me for admission, this time I went on my own. The principal of the school, Nand Kishore Sahay, was a great teacher. He perused my certificates and asked about my hobbies and extracurricular activities. I delivered the Loha Singh dialogue instead. Sahayji was instantly impressed, and confirmed my admission. When I told him that I belonged to a poor family and had no money to buy books and stationery, Sahayji granted me a scholarship. I would walk to Miller High School, about five kilometres from our chaprasi quarters, every day, along with a group of students. I returned home late in the evening, for I played football, delivered Loha Singhs dialogues and gossiped with friends after school hours. My brothers were supportive of my after-school pursuits.

Soon after joining the high school, I aspired to become a doctor. It was because I had a friend, Basant, who was a very good student and was committed to becoming a doctor. Later, when I asked him what one had to study to become a doctor, he mentioned biology. However, I soon discovered that I would have to operate upon frogs for the practical exams, which I hated, and gave up the idea of becoming a doctor. (Basant did become a good doctor eventually.) I did not like Algebra either. The subject had characters like 2x, 3y and 4z, which I found too intricate to figure out. I found that I could not study Science, which, too, had Algebra as a compulsory subject. I was good at Arts subjectsHindi, English, Civics, History, Geography and also simple Arithmetic. There was no one to guide me at home when it came to academics. So my English was not as strong as my Hindi and other subjects. But I fared reasonably well in English in my examinations. My handwriting was not good, but I wrote words and sentences correctly.

I enjoyed Arts more because it dealt with society, agriculture, politics and basic rules and laws which I could connect with. Whenever I got agriculture, floods, irrigation, etc., as a topic for writing essays in examinations, I wrote them well and earned decent marks. I was rooted in social life to an extent where I did not require preparation for writing essays on these subjects.

Meanwhile, I emerged as a passionate footballer at Miller High School. I was robust and rustic and I used to get the maximum number of yellow and red cards from the referees. That was because when I found anyone playing incorrectly against any of my teammates, I would chase that player and strike him with all ferocity. Somehow, at that time, I took it upon myself to avenge foul play against any of my teammates. I never tolerated any of my teammates getting hit by opponents. The referees didnt like me much but I was the darling of my teammates. I was never the captain of my team but my teammates had tremendous confidence in me and the spectators looked for me and cheered when I advanced with the ball.

Incidentally, after I became the chief minister many years later, I ordered a change in the schools name. I had nothing against the original name, but felt that an eminent person from Bihar should be honoured. Thus, Miller was replaced by Devipad Choudharyafter a freedom fighter who was shot during the Quit India movement. He had studied in Miller school. The Saat Murti (seven statues) in front of the Secretariat in Patna features, among others, two freedom fighters who were educated in the erstwhile Miller school, including Choudhary.

I also joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in my schooldays. I first got attracted to the NCC because I received a pair of trousers, shirts and shoes, and was given snacks as a cadet. I got so carried away that I would wear the NCC uniform throughout the day. But gradually, I also imbibed the NCC spirit. I was very good at parades and was adjudged the best cadet a few months after my entry. Sensing my merit, the trainer would invariably ask me to give commands to the cadets. The cadets loved my panache.

The NCC camps inculcated in me a sense of discipline and selfless service for people. Incidentally, NCC cadets and friends loved to hear me deliver Loha Singhs dialogues. The manner in which I spoke had great resemblance to Loha Singhs. Because of my village background, I spoke words in the Bhojpuri dialect with fluency and empathy, which my friends and teachers enjoyed.

I sailed through the matriculation examination with flying colours in 1965. My brothers were overjoyed at my success but they had no means to celebrate it. I was the first member of my family and my neighbourhood in Phulwaria to have crossed this education milestone. Now, I was a very confident youth, full of enthusiasm and zeal to pursue higher education.

Chapter 2

LOHIA, JP AND RABRI

O nce out of school and into college, I realized that I was on the cusp of change. But how dramatic and how far-reaching that change would be, was something I had not anticipated, despite my very fertile imagination. The years in college were to mould me both on a professional and personal front. Having become the first member of my family and in the immediate neighbourhood of my village to enter college, I would soon plunge into university politics, which would become the foundation of my public life later. I also met Rabri Devi and married her, but more on that later. What I must emphatically state here is that, despite my hectic schedule in student politics, I always found time to regularly visit my village, Phulwaria. I continued to take an active interest in the upkeep of my farm and cattle.

In 1966, I secured admission in BN College, affiliated to Patna University. I was happy because it was considered to be among the three most prominent institutions of higher studiesthe other two being Patna Science College and Patna College. The only problem was that the college was about 10 kilometres from the veterinary college campus where I lived with my brothers. Unable to afford public transportwhich in any case was erratic in those daysI walked the distance both ways. I wasnt new to challenges posed by paucity of material resources, but was nevertheless glad for the company I got; poor students from far awayDanapur, Khagaul, Gardanibagh and Phulwari Shariftrekked the distance too. While I could not afford even a humble cycle, there were some who came on motorcyclesthey were from affluent, largely upper-caste families. There were a few students from what came to be later called the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and SCs.

I had to economize in every way. Admission and tuition fees were relatively low, but books and stationery were expensive. Plus, one was required to have nashta-pani (snacks and beverages) for the day-long stay in the college. It was hard for my brothers to manage two meals a day for the family. There was no way they could afford pocket money for me, let alone fashionable clothes. I struggled to clothe myself in the best way I could. The more well-off students looked down upon me and others like me, and sought to bully and dominate us. I soon understood that I had to do something to establish my credentials. I was good at public speaking, having honed the art in school. I didnt suffer from stage fright, having performed in plays and rendered folk songs before many an audience. I decided to test my ability. One fine day, I stood on the boundary wall of the college and spoke spontaneously on the issue of transportation for poor students. Being particularly concerned, as one of those affected, I thundered: We are poor but we want to study. It is for the university administration and the government to help us. The university must arrange affordable bus services for poor students living far away from the college, to ensure their attendance. We get tired after covering the long distance. We brave hunger and thirst. We will have to agitate to get our basic needs fulfilled so that we can carry forward our studies.