VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, March 16: Society may despise them as criminals because they are in jail as convicts or undertrials but they are human beings full of emotion and creativity. To showcase their suppressed feelings and the urge for creativity, the Prison Department of Jharkhand government has published a booklet in Hindi ‘Sarhul: Jharkhand Ke Bandiyon Ki Srijnatmak Abhivyakti’ (Sarhul: Creative Expression of Prisoners of Jharkhand) comprising poems, stories articles, and paintings penned by more than two dozen convicts and undertrials lodged across 30 jails of Jharkhand.
The expressions of some of the compositions are so brilliant, beautiful, and poignant that it brings tears to the eyes leaving people to wonder are they actually criminals or suspect of some crimes. The painting section contains 21 pictures painted by inmates.
“Jail is not a house of convicts, it is a house of contemplation,” writes Subhashish Mandal, a convict lodged at Deoghar jail.
Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Hemant Soren have appreciated their creative faculty and a summary revision of the booklet reveals that jails are not synonymous with crime, criminals, and violence. There are seeds of creativity needed to be nurtured and watered.
The booklet starts with a story ‘Bhatakte Ko Raah’ penned by an undertrial Praveen Kumar Sah. This is the story of a boy Rajwardhan, son of a prestigious person who landed in jail because of his bad habits and company. In jail, he reformed himself. His poem ‘Apradh Bodh’ offers a serious muse on the psychology of crime.
An inmate of Dumka jail Asha Mishra has composed a beautiful poem ‘Lachar Parinda’ which reads like a commentary on the criminal justice system of India. Written in a complete pensive note it seems that not ink but tears were rolling out of her. Readers can just wonder whether she is a victim of any miscarriage of justice. This is not a poem but a cry in confinement.
She writes, “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.
Another inmate Ramesh Mandal has composed two untitled poems based on cleanliness and Mahatma Gandhi.
While in jail their voting rights may be suspended. But there is no restriction on the political ideology they profess and their rights of free and fair criticism of the political class.
A Dalit prisoner Subhash Chandra Bauri serving life imprisonment in his poem “Dalit se Karne Parichit (An acquaintance with Dalits)”, has said how politicians and political parties fool and misuse the Dalit community to gain power.
“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 poem running over 72 stanzas raises various issues of the welfare of Dalits and their identity and slams politicians for masquerading as Dalit Hitaishi. From Janeudhari Rahul Gandhi to 56 incha ka sina of Narendra Modi, he has not spared political class. He has also made reference of the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment on the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Undertrial prisoner Kamal Kumar Singh lodged in Khunti Jail writes his own story that how in pursuit of success he was trapped by greed and ultimately landed in jail in a multi-crore chit fund scam. Kamal Kumar Singh writes that he needs an opportunity to undo all the wrongs he committed.
“A government job was a thousand times better than this kind of business. My ambition left me nowhere. My own people are running away from me. But I want to ask you. I took money from you. Was only I responsible for this? I ever threaten you for money? No, people gave me money on their own. People were also greedy,” he writes
Another prisoner Sukhdev Mahato, lodged in Saraikela Jail writes that jail reformed him and he found some good things and good people and not all professional criminals.
Jharkhand IG, Prisons, Manoj Kumar made the initiative to publish a booklet as a part of a conscious move to give prisoners a platform to vent their emotions. He said that on a regular interval such compilations will be published.