Patna,(BiharTimes): The 16th Lok Sabha election has evoked much curiousity in India as well as abroad. It has attracted People of Indian Origin and NRIs living abroad. Many of them have travelled all the way to Bihar (and even other states) to either contest election, make documentary film or campaign for any particular party or candidate.

Parliamentary election in India is being keenly watched by people in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan for obvious reasons.

Several Pakistanis, especially those living in Karachi, where there is a sizeable Bihari population, are interest in the election result of Bihar. After all two prominent Bihari population, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar, had visited the country in the last one decade or so.

California-based Ravi Verma, an IIT-ian, and originally from Katihar, is busy making documentary “Viva Democracy” on the election here.

The purpose of the film is to depict the perspective of the people over the battle of the ballots and draw a parallel between the election processes in India and the United States.

Ravi is a frequent visitor to Bihar and has also opened an engineering college in Katihar.
The major part of the shooting of his film will be done in Bihar. In this regard he has sought and received an approval from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Ravi owns a software firm in California and had set up its subsidiary firm in Katihar in 2005. In 2013 he released a documentary “Journey of the Heart”, which was sponsored by the government of India.
While he had brought crew from Hollywood to Bihar to shoot the film last time this year he is using local talents. He has been training a group of youngsters in Katihar in cinematography and sound techniques.

On the other hand Sanjeev Singh, also an owner of software firm in the United States, is in his home state to campaign for Patna Saheb MP and sitting BJP candidate, Shatrughan Sinha. Saneev is staying in Hotel Maurya and moves along with Shtrughan Sinha during his campaign.

Doha (Qatar)-based teacher-cum-social activist, Shakeel Kakwi, has flown all the way back to his home in Jehanabad to work for Janata Dal (United) candidate, Anil Kumar Sharma of Amarpali group. In fact both were associated with branding of Bihar outside the state/country and their friendship developed further in Bihar Times Conclaves.

In Darbhanga, a US-returned doctor, Prabhat Ranjan Das, is the candidate from Aam Admi Party.

Das did his residency and higher studies in New York. He had been based in the US for nearly two decades, but two years back he returned to his home-town in Darbhanga where he has been offering free healthcare to deprive sections of the society through his non-profit organization, Dr Prabhat Das Foundation.

Even while he was in the US he used to spend six months in Darbhanga every year.

Akshaya Verma, son of senior IAS officer, Amitabh Verma, is back from the United States to serve Muzaffarpur. He has floated Sarvjan Kalyan Loktantrik Party (SKLP) on March 14. It is registered with Election Commission.

He has a Master degree in Financial Economics from Oxford University and in Public Administration from Columbia University, New York.

But why Muzaffarpur? His father Amitabh Verma was once the district magistrate here.

Akshaya, a former president of Columbia University Students’ Union, wants to improve the living condition of women, poor fishermen, farmers and create better environment for education and employment for youths in Muzaffarpur.

He graduated from St Stephan College, New Delhi, before going abroad.

Talking to the media he claimed that in the last two years, he has facilitated bank loans worth Rs 3.75 crore to around 1,400 fishermen of the constituency and got 5,800 of them insured for personal and health purposes during the period.

He also claimed to have submitted additional loan applications for 25,000 fishermen in North Bihar Regional Rural Bank. He has motivated two investors of Delhi to invest in fish seed production of 30,000 tonne in Bochaha block of the district.

Apart from these professionals there are several journalists from abroad, who are in Bihar to cover the election.