The highway was empty at 6 AM. I asked the driver: “Isn't this route dangerous?” He laughed. “News ka highway alag hai, real highway alag.” (News highway is different, real highway is different.)
Bihar and Jharkhand share borders, history, and news coverage. “Bihar jharkhand news” is a common section in many newspapers. It promises you stories from both states. But what does it actually give you?
Before my road trip, I read this news section for a month. I saw:
Naxal encounters in Jharkhand forests
Floods in Bihar's northern districts
Land disputes in both states
Political corruption everywhere
I expected a journey through hell. Instead, I found a road through life.
The driver who doesn't read news
My driver was named Santosh. He had been driving between Patna and Ranchi for 15 years. Twice a week. Every week. Rain or shine.
I asked: “Do you read ‘bihar jharkhand news’?”
He said: “No. I read the road.”
“What does the road tell you?”
“The road tells me which stretch is repaired. Which dhaba has good food. Which petrol pump is honest. Which village has a festival today.”
“That's my news. Not what a politician said in Patna or what a Naxal did in some forest.”
What I saw on the road
We drove for 8 hours. Here's what I saw:
A new bridge that cut 45 minutes from the journey. No headline.
A school where children waved at our car. No headline.
A market selling fresh vegetables. Farmers laughing. No headline.
A temple on a hill. Peaceful. No headline.
A tea stall where the owner remembered Santosh's name. No headline.
No Naxals. No floods. No land disputes. No corruption on the roadside.
Just life.
What Santosh taught me about the “dangerous” areas
I asked: “But what about the Naxal areas? Aren't they dangerous?”
Santosh said: “There are areas. Yes. But they are not on this highway. They are deep in the forest, 50 km from any road. Why would I go there?”
“News makes it sound like the whole of Jharkhand is a war zone. But I drive here every week. I have never seen a Naxal. Never been stopped. Never been scared.”
“The news takes one incident in one forest and makes it feel like it's everywhere. It's not.”
The Bihar that news never shows
We passed through a small town in Bihar. I saw:
A new college building. Girls in uniforms.
A hospital with a sign: “Free checkup for pregnant women.”
A canal that was full of water. Irrigation working.
A cycle rickshaw with a banner: “Digital India – learn computers here.”