Posters of Bihar Day celebrations at the Income Tax roundabout in Patna. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, March 21: Posters and banners with messages like ”Apna Bihar”, “Hamara Bihar” and “Young Bihar at 99” have changed the looks of the state capital.

Patna looks all decked up for the grand Bihar Divas celebrations that will start from Tuesday to mark the state’s 99th year of foundation.

Colourful posters with the logo of Bihar Divas s grabbing the eyeballs of the man on the street. Private companies and government banks are also taking part in the celebrations.

Alok Jain, the man who created the logo of Bihar Divas, has also designed the posters and is the co-ordinator of Bihar Divas. Jain said: “Bihar is no longer known for its bad habits. Earlier, caste was important than any other thing in the state and used to be promoted by many. But today that is no longer the case. Bihar has created a niche in the mind of the people and that is why we have given special emphasis on the posters and stickers. We have tried to convey a strong message through these. Slogans like Hamara Bihar and Sab ka Bihar has already sent a strong message to the residents. It has taken me more than three months to decide on the designs of these posters and stickers.”

Jain, describing the stickers, said: “A sticker has been specially designed to mark the celebrations. The sticker carries the logo of Bihar Divas and the message ‘Hamara Bihar’.” These stickers have found space on almost every vehicle in the state, including chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Jain said the posters designed for the occasion depicts every detail of the state. “The posters made for Bihar Divas include significant details like paintings from Mithila and litti chokha, makhana and litchi in food. Chhath, the Maner Sharif dargah, Takht Shri Harmandir Sahib Patna Gurdwara, Mahabodhi Temple of Bodhgaya and Jain Temple of Pawapuri depict the state’s heritage. Anything that is related to Bihar is depicted on the posters,” he said.

Areas like Bailey Road, Boring Road, Jagdev Path, Ashiana, Rajabazar and Danapur are filled with posters and the interest of the people has gone up by many notches, thanks to these.

Kamlesh Kumar, a resident of Boring Road, said: “The posters are really attractive and is a good change. Most of the time, these places are occupied by promotionals of private companies so this change is good. The posters also try to convey a good message. Many a times, we don’t get to visit functions but these posters give us a rough idea about what is going to happen in the coming days. Earlier, I was thinking whether to attend the celebrations but after seeing the posters all over the city, I have decided to go.”

Today, Nitish Kumar also said: “The state is no more the subject of laughs. Bihar has created its own mark and identification — caste is no longer an issue. Things have changed and the people of Bihar have changed. Now there is a determination among them. No longer are they identified by caste, their biggest identity today is being Bihari.”