Frontline Conversations

Voices from Kalyan Bigha

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In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Political Editor Anand Mishra visits Kalyan Bigha, the ancestral village of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, to explore the making of a leader who has dominated the State’s politics for two decades. Speaking with Sitaramji, Nitish Kumar’s childhood companion and long-time associate, the conversation traces his journey from a thoughtful boy who mediated playground fights to a political figure seen as both a reformer and a relic of the old order.

As Bihar heads toward yet another election, Frontline revisits Nitish Kumar's legacy through the eyes of those who knew him best. From his early promise and developmental politics to the fatigue of incumbency and questions about his health, this ground report captures how memory, loyalty, and myth-making intersect in Bihar’s political imagination.
Highlights:

  • Nitish Kumar’s childhood and his reputation as a conciliator
  • The making of a political persona rooted in rural Bihar
  • How villagers view his two decades in power
  • The evolution of caste and development politics under his rule
  • Tejashwi Yadav’s challenge and the limits of generational change
  • Reflections on legacy, loyalty, and the fading aura of leadership
    • Viewers following Bihar’s 2025 election closely
    • Students of political science
    • Journalists and researchers studying leadership and democracy

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      Credits:
      Reported by: Anand Mishra
      Camera: Ranjan Rahi
      Editing: Razal Pareed
      Produced by: Vedaant Lakhera and Vitasta Kaul

      Originally published on November 1, 2025

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