WHEN I assumed office as the Governor of Bihar a few months ago, I did so with the instincts of a soldier and a lifelong student of military history. Like many Indians, I regarded Bihar as an important hinterland state — politically significant, agriculturally rich and immensely contributory to the nations human resource. Strategically, however, I believed its relevance was limited because it neither bordered China nor Pakistan, nor figured prominently in Indias contemporary security discourse.