| Dear Express Explained reader, Name a couple of chief ministers of Bihar other than Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar? Chances are that question might draw a blank, despite the fact that Bihar is the country’s second-largest state by population and boasts of one of the most fascinating political histories in India. As it heads into Assembly polls this month, Shyamlal Yadav is midway through the process of piecing together a series of explanatory articles that tell the history of Bihar politics through the tenure of its 23 chief ministers, starting with Shri Krishna Sinha – widely seen as the founder of modern Bihar – and the others that followed. These include Deep Narayan Singh, Binodanand Jha, KB Sahay, Mahamaya Prasad Sinha, and then a slew of short-term chief ministers. Then there are stalwarts such as Karpoori Thakur, as well as Lalu and then Nitish bringing up the rear end of the list. Also, Santosh Singh explained the context of why ‘jungle raj’ casts a long shadow over the RJD, a baggage that continues to be borne by Tejashwi Yadav, 20 years since the RJD lost power in Bihar. And how this inevitably evokes memories of the high crime rate and a desperate struggle by residents to migrate out of the state. Right next door, Odisha has become a model state in handling cyclones. With more than 480-km-long coastline along the Bay of Bengal, the state is vulnerable to cyclones; it was hit by about 110 cyclones between 1891 and 2020, according to experts. As Odisha braced for cyclone Montha, Sujit Bisoyi explained how Odisha’s bureaucracy mastered the challenge of handling back-to-back cyclones in recent years. Giving context to a case triggered by an earlier summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate to two senior advocates of the Supreme Court, Arvind Datar and Pratap Venugopal, Amaal Sheikh explained how the top court attempted to strike a balance between evidentiary privilege and the needs for investigation. On Friday, the SC issued directions barring police or prosecuting agencies from summoning legal professionals to reveal communications provided while advising their clients. With Mehli Mistry being voted off Tata Trusts, George Mathew put in context the rise and exit of Ratan Tata’s trusted confidant – a man who has avoided the social limelight, has never given interviews and shuns corporate flamboyance. Thank you for reading The Indian Express Explained. Our goal is to give you rapid clarity and understanding, and we hope you walk away each day feeling like you’ve learnt something new or gained more insights into the issues that shape our lives. There is a large body of explanatory journalism, on a wide range of topics, on our website, and I hope you will check it out soon if you haven’t already. Also, many of our best explainers are now behind a paywall, so I hope you will subscribe. I assure you it will be money well spent. Sincerely,
Anil Sasi | 
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