Jharkhand Inmates Pen Their Views On Politics, Justice Through Poems, Paintings; Booklet Published

The imprisonment has spurred the creative juices of those living out their sentences in several jails of Jharkhand. The state government's recent initiative of publishing their works have drawn the country's attention towards how prisons can be used as corrective facilities.

For the first time, the government has published a booklet titled 'Sarhul: Creative Expression of Prisoners of Jharkhand', which is a compilation of articles, sketches, and poems jotted down by dozens of inmates lodged in 30 jails across the state, including seven central jails, 16 district jails, six sub-jails.

Poem On Country's Justice System

The first page of the booklet contains a poem by a Dumnka Jail prisoner, Asha Mishra, who has penned down her views on India's criminal justice system.

"Kanoon ke pinjre mein lachar parinda hai. Kya raah dikhayega…kanoon to andha hai. Lachar jahan jaaye…har aur andhera hai…Nirdosh ke gardan par faansi ka fanda hai (There is a powerless bird in the cage of law, what road will it show, the law is blind. Wherever the vulnerable goes; there is darkness all around; a noose is dangling over the heads of innocents," The Indian Express quoted her poem.

Poem On SC/ST Atrocities

Another Dalit prisoner serving life imprisonment, Subhash Chandra Bauri, has talked about the Supreme Court's 2018 order on the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act through a poem.

"Choone se padta tha nahana, kar diya tha mushkil jeena, kaam tha aapas mein ladana, reet tha ye sadiyon purana…Dalit mein dekhta sab hai apna apna dalhit…Dantvihin kanoon bana kar kiya Dalit ko chot, Janata se hi nyay maange ye kaisa Supreme Court, satane laga dar neta ko, ab khisak jayega vote, ab kaise aayega bhaiyya badka badka note, yahi soch kar utra sadak par, kiya Dalit se prit, Dalit mein hi sab dekhta hai apna apna dalhit, tabhi to abhiyan cheda hai, Dalit se karne parichit," the publication quoted the poem.

Dalits Victim Of Political Gamble

Another prominent work in the table of contents is a write up by a Dalit prisoner, who speaks about the misuse of the community members by politicians for votes. An undertrial inmate writes that the jail has 'transformed' him in a way that no educational institute could ever do.

Booklets Every Six Months

Chief Minister Hemant Soren lauded the inmates for showcasing their creative expressions through literature. About the booklet, Soren said this was a great way to identify the prisoners from the creativity and artistic point of view and make the outside world aware of their thought process.

State IG, Prisons, Manoj Kumar, is the mind behind publishing the booklets."Initially, only criminals were supposed to be punished, and from hating criminals to hating the crime, criminals justice has travelled a long distance. Now jails are also about reformation," Kumar told the media.

The IG said it was a conscious move to unearth the creative side of prisoners and help them vent their grievances for their mental health. The authorities will be publishing a booklet after every six months.

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