Thoughts from behind the bars

KOCHI: In a first-of-its-kind endeavour by the police officers at Poojapura Central Prison, inmates of the jail will now be able to break free from the monotony of prison life and get into the shoes of writers to see their thoughts on the printed page.Thanks to the efforts of Nirmalanandan Nair, a superintendent at the prison, and his team, a magazine will soon be launched carrying articles and literary contributions by the prison inmates. The novel initaitive, is being planned to ensure the mental wellbeing of prisoners, in addition to other welfare programmes. The central prison has close to 970 inmates at present.

“During our many informal conversations with the inmates, we realised that several of them have various talents which can be tapped. Besides artistic skills, we identified a few who were gifted with words. So we encouraged them to write more and were surprised to see the outcome. Hence, we thought of compiling all their articles and publishing them in the form of a magazine which would not only give them a platform to express their thoughts but also encourage them to write frequently,” said Nirmalanandan.

The jail superintendent added that the magazine which is scheduled to be launched in a month will include poems, stories and paintings done by the prison inmates. “The subjects can vary and inmates can explore themes such as humanity and even write about anecdotes they have encountered behind the bars. We have already received a few articles.

The magazine will be published with the help of social welfare organisations,” said Nirmalanandan. The prison has a library comprising over 1,600 books including fiction and non-fiction which have been catering to the ardent readers on the premises.

FM radio to keep blues at bay 
In order to keep the spirits of the prisoners high, Jail DGP Rishiraj Singh had recently directed all prisons in Kerala to play FM Radio from 6am to 8pm. This decision was taken after a number of suicide cases among prisoners were reported in the state lately. Such initiatives will help in reducing the mental and psychological stress being faced by those behind the bars and eventually help in preventing suicidal tendencies. The prison inmates will also be encouraged more to make phone calls to their relatives.