The ‘Hum’ Factor

By addressing themselves as 'hum', Biharis offer a collective motivation to act together in times of crisis and breakdown and demonstrate the ethical politics of hope as they navigate economic vulnerability, social conflict and political uncertainty

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AMONG the many taunts levelled against Biharis by other Indians is their insistence on using the collective hum while referring to themselves as individuals.

Whereas other Indians speak of themselves in the first-person singular (main, aami, naan), the Biharis' hum invites routine derision. Undaunted, however, Biharis resist the individualising pronouns that carve the rest of us into atomised beings whose identities are contained in our respective bodies and end in the tips of our fingers. In doing so, they remind us of the importance of living together despite our troubles, our differences and disagreements, and failings. Hum encompasses a solidarity that teaches us to look beyond our immediate selves, to make connections with others, and appreciate how people make meaning of life in conversation with one another.

The solidarity intimated by hum signals the Biharis' ability to broaden their political horizons instead of confining themselves. Politically fostered by generations of leftist mobilisation that challenged the caste-class hierarchies cemented by colonial and postcolonial governments, such solidarity brings together the State's diverse social groups in a shared struggle for a better life. Spotlighting their shared struggle neither detracts from the passionate ways in which political Biharis disagree with each other nor blurs the deep ideological fault lines that divide them. Rather, a recognition of their shared struggles helps to understand, and appreciate, the ethical politics of Biharis across the ideological spectrum: the scramble across the left, right and centre to claim credit for the caste census conducted in the State back in 2022 offers a case in point. Hum offers a cultural repertoire on which Biharis can draw to fashion and finesse their ethical politics.