Jail inmate turns to art, adds colours to walls

Gorakhpur: A jail inmate serving life imprisonment for killing his wife for dowry has added beautiful colours to the walls of Siddharthnagar district jail with his paintings.
Ramesh Patwa (35), a resident of Shohratgarh area in Sidsharth Nagar district killed his wife for dowry in 2011 and is serving life sentence in Siddharthnagar jail since 2013.
Jail superintendent Rakesh Singh said that Ramesh has changed a lot after he started painting. He also helps doctors in the jail as before coming to jail he was assistant to a private doctor and also did a course in pharmacy.
“We always encourage jail inmates to get involved in positive activities and there is no doubt that art has the power to change a person. After he started painting we noticed a huge change in Ramesh. He has become kind and compassionate and always helps doctors and patients. Subjects of his paintings vary from deities to nature and even portraits. Jail provides him colours and brush,” said Singh.
For Ramesh painting is his atonement of sins. He said that he learned painting from a jail inmate Feroz, a native of Basti district. In the jail Ramesh met Feroz who was given the responsibility of colouring walls of the jail. From Feroz, Ramesh learnt to hold brush and paint.