Buxar: Nearly 20km from Buxar town lies Mungaon Dera village in Dumraon block, a settlement that roars not with factories, but with engines. Popularly known as the “village of drivers”, almost every household here has one or two members working as truck or bus drivers across the country.Situated on the Dumraon-Bikramganj road near Mungaon High School, the village offers a scene both unusual and evocative. Trucks stand lined along the roadside like silent sentinels while children clutching tiffin boxes wait eagerly to hand over home-cooked meals to their fathers or relatives before they embark on long, uncertain journeys.The village comprises around 50 families, largely from the Yadav community. More than 150 men are engaged in driving in different parts of India, forming the economic backbone of their homes and contributing to the local economy.Forty-five-year-old Upendra Kumar Yadav said although his father tilled the land as a farmer, he was drawn to the steering wheel by his uncle, a bus driver. Today, Upendra owns a truck and has built a house in Kolkata. He drives between Dumraon and Kolkata twice a week.For many here, driving is inheritance. Hridyanand Yadav, who runs a bus service between Buxar and Bikramganj, said the profession flows through generations. Boys grow up watching their fathers and elder brothers navigate highways and dream of one day taking the wheel themselves.“We spend most of our lives on highways, but our hearts remain in the village,” said Sanjay Yadav, who frequently travels between Bihar and Maharashtra.Another driver, Vitendra Yadav, said, “Driving is tough, but it sustains our families.” “Our children wait with food when we return. That moment gives us strength,” said Badak Yadav.Ram Kishun Singh alias Gop Jee Yadav said many from the village operate buses on the Buxar-Bikramganj route as well as the Buxar-Howrah service.Despite punishing hours, road hazards and prolonged separation from home, the drivers of Mungaon continue with resilience and pride. “They keep both the village and the nation moving forward,” said Indal Singh, mukhiya of Mungaon panchayat, under which Mungaon Dera falls.
