Tarengana; from Aryabhata to left Extremism and NASA

witness to passage of history

A dusty sub-divisional village called Tarengana, some 30 Km south east of state capital Patna today witnessed its tryst with 21^st Century’s most spectacular and this century’s last celestial event from 5:29 hrs to 7:30 hrs today. Astrophysicists say that similar event would occur in 2132 AD, the time when none of us of today’s generation would be alive to watch.

This century’s longest total solar eclipse (TSE) was witnessed by tens of thousands of people including the CM of Bihar Nitish Kumar and hundreds of astronomers, some of them from NASA itself. I was fortunately one among the crowd who could capture this spectacular event in their minds and hearts. The overcast sky also could not deter and dampen enthusiasm and curiosity of overenthusiastic ‘eclipsomaniacs’ who had swamped in this hamlet to see this event across the globe. This place lacks adequate infrastructure and the scientists and government officials virtually kept sleep away whole night to watch the memorable event inside a govt referral hospital here in Tarengana. Such was the enthusiasm and such was the zeal.

TARENGANA AND ARYABHATA- Tarengana which means ‘counting of stars’ is believed to the birth place of Aryabhata, the most renowned Indian astronomer who some 1400 years ago discovered that earth is not static and it revolves and moves. Aryabhata, it is said, used to count stars and study celestial bodies from his laboratory, the remains of which still exists here in ruins. This is why this place is named as Taregana, counting of stars.

The history of Tarengana can be summarised in one sentence. It is like this ‘from Aryabhata to left extremism (Maoism) and from Maoism to conglomeration of Astro-Tourists and Astro-Scientists. What a contrast indeed!

TARENGNA AND LEFT EXTREMISM- Tarengana is locally known as Masaurhi and is said to the birth place of left extremism in Bihar. The place gained notoriety when one People’s war group (PWG) was formed and caused many massacres in Masaurhi and adjoining districts of Gaya, Aurangabad and Jehanabad like Belchi, Kaila, Kargha, Pipra, parashbigha, Maini Bigha etc in which thousands of people were killed in dastardly act of violence. Later with the merger of PWG and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), the left extremism in Bihar entered into one of the most notorious and deadly phase in the history of left extremism. Hundreds of massacres have occurred over two decades and the state is trying hard to shed its stereotype image under the new government under Nitish Kumar. Maoists had given a call of ‘Tarengana Bandh’ today also in order to draw attention of national and international media which had conglomerated here to capture this event. Fortunately they could not create any problems largely due to huge enthusiasm of common people and partly due to unprecedented ‘Police Bandobast’.

Thus the history in Bihar entered into a new phase, a phase of hope, resilience and resurgence. Hopefully this celestial event many harbinger prosperity and development in this poor state. It may be a coincidence that just before this TSE, monsoon rained heavily in many parts of the state, which people were desperately waiting for. The cloud may have despaired some to watch this spectacular event, but it has certainly filled joys in the eyes of millions of farmers who were looking at sky for rains.