Swearing by ‘Bihari’ in bold gets this biz going | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Swearing by ‘Bihari’ in bold gets this biz going

Hindustan Times, Patna | By
May 30, 2017 01:07 PM IST

The Biharis living out of their state are more proudly ordering and wearing the Bihari swag T-shirts. When people see them wearing the T-shirt or the badges, they too ask for it with pride.

If you spot a boy or girl, college going or professionals wearing T-shirts that read the most commonly heard Bihari quotes like ‘Le Lota’, ‘Latakla Ta Gayila’, ‘Bakaiti’, ‘Bak Lol’, ‘Garda Uda Diye’, ‘Gayle Bhais Paani Mein’ or ‘Bindaas Biharan’, don’t get confused. It’s a fad that seems to have taken the city youngsters by storm.

Bihari swag T-shirts(HT)
Bihari swag T-shirts(HT)

The T-shirts are courtesy ‘Patna Beats’, a web portal launched by Bihar youth, which feels this is one way to reinforce the Bihari identity and be bold and brash about everything Bihar.

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“We want to revamp the image of Bihar and use popular satire in a trendy way,” say the sponsorers of the ‘movement’.

Well, the move has clearly succeeded for it has shaken up students, businessmen, shopkeepers, celebrities and professionals - all of whom have embraced the quirky idea, which is actually all sold.

“Despite Bihar’s stepping on the gas to turn into one of the fastest developing states of India with a growth rate of around 11% annually, people continue to carry the mindset that it is an underdeveloped state of illiterates. The height of misconception was portrayed when a website named youswear.com, popular for slang/ swear words laden shirts, displayed the meaning of ‘Bihari’ as a ‘loser’,” said Bashshar Habibullah.  

“Did that make your blood boil?” he asks. “Mine did,” he adds. This Patna boy who looked up the website to find something positive about Bihar found only negatives, which is when he decided to get Bihar on to a positive recall. That’s how the idea of Bihar merchandise was born and outrolled the T-shirts, mugs, badges and hoodies.

“My main purpose is to educate people about the rich culture of the state and provide the residents with something which would make them feel proud of their identity. So we mixed fashion with ethnicity,” Habibullah said.

The first launch was a success and sold like hot cakes in December 2016. Over 100 T-shirts, 12 hoodies and over 200 badges were sold out within two months. The shop and items were relaunched in May and have sold over 105 T-shirts within a week. Among them, the bestseller was ‘Bindaas Biharan’ and ‘I am Brand Bihar’ T-shirt while the ones with ‘Hum Dil Nahi Stereotypes Todte Hai’ is also doing well.

“The interesting thing is that more than Patna, we received orders from Delhi and Bengaluru. The Biharis living out of their state are more proudly ordering and wearing the Bihari swag T-shirts. When people see them wearing the T-shirt or the badges, they too ask for it with pride. We have also received orders from London,” he added.        

The team comprising three friends, including Syed Ashar Ali and Sidharth Shankar, besides some freelancers work day and night together for this cause. They do not even have an office and work from their bedrooms.

“Since the launch of Patna Beats, we have not kept a single penny of the profit for our personal use. We invest the earning from our website in the shop and its income in manufacturing. The T-shirt is manufactured in Delhi and designed in Patna. Many times, we deliver the products in Patna ourselves to cut the cost of courier. But we feel that money comes and goes, but the image stays forever,” he said.

This initiative has proven to be one of the trendiest one. So, what are you waiting for?

Bihari swag T-shirts are available in all sizes and cost Rs 495 while the badges Rs 49. You can even order coffee mugs saying 100% Bihari, O Womaniya and many interesting quotes for Rs 245. Go flaunt the Bihariness in You!    

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Nandini is a content producer for careers and education section at HT Delhi. She has an experience of four years in journalism covering health, lifestyle and crime beats.

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