The very name of Bihar, a district in the eastern part of India, evokes images of anarchy, banditry, and disarray. Already traversed by distinct cultural zones -Bhojpuri, Mithila, Magadha, and the tribal zone of Jharkhand -Bihari society is characterized by bloody clan conflict over territorial rights. The doggedness with which the region's protagonists form militias' is a perpetual source of front-page news. Pitted against the Brahmans and Bhumihar Rajputs, the large landowners, are the herding and soldier castes such as the livestock-herding Yadavas, the farming Kurmis, and the former saltpeter miners, the Noniyas, whose economic, social, and political growth has given them real power. And although Magadha's rich Buddhist past attracts pilgrims and tourists, and Mithila's beautiful painted murals and villages draw art connoisseurs, Bihar ranks as one of the least safe regions of India. The rate of banditry and other crime reaches surprising levels.2 2 For any traveler on the roads of Bihar, an inescapable image comes to mind: that of a peasant who always keeps his wooden club or lathi at hand, under no circumstances letting it out of his reach. The Biharis, who constitute a &dquo;martial race&dquo; in India similar to the Sikhs or the Pathans, in keeping with the role conceived by the British colonial administration, were a mother lode for Monghol and English army recruiters. Their independent fighting spirit, which has earned them a reputation for toughness, has been in evidence throughout their history. In modern times many have emigrated elsewhere in order to carry out their police or military functions. Along with the Sikhs, the Pathans, and the Gurkhas, Biharis are found in large Indian cities, where they are hired as guards for apartments and hotels. Many of them were
