India, Oct. 15 -- When people think of Bihar, they often recall its colonial past, political dysfunction, and decades of neglect. For years, the state was seen as a symbol of what went wrong in India's development story. I came here expecting to find remnants of that narrative - the poverty, the frustration, the brain drain. Instead, I found something profoundly different: A quiet, determined resurgence that could redefine India's future.

I had come to Bodh Gaya seeking peace and reflection, to sit where the Buddha once found enlightenment and to quiet my own restless mind. But on the road to Nalanda, I came upon another monument to human endurance - the ridge carved by Dashrath Manjhi, the "mountain man". Standing there, between sheer w...