The earthquake that struck Bihar on August 21, 1988, could not have come at a worst time for the state. It had barely recovered from the news of a steamer capsizing in the Ganga off Maniharighat with 400 people aboard a fortnight earlier.

The quake--6.5 on the Ritcher scale-killed over 850 people and left 15,000 injured in Bihar, the Himalayan region and Nepal. It struck in two instalments of 10 seconds and 15 seconds each, yet it managed to leave cracks in 50,000 buildings, including Raj Bhavan and the old Secretariat Building, in Bihar. In fact, the then Bihar governor G.N. Singh had to move to the ground floor of the building because of the damages his residence had suffered.

Bhootahi Balan river breached an embankment in Madhubani district and inundated various areas. In short, Bihar villages turned into ruins.

To alleviate the sufferings of lakhs of people, the Times of India Group announced a relief fund with an initial contribution. The fund's collection were distributed among various government departments and non-governmental agencies to help Bihar's quake-hit get back to normality