Berhampur jail inmates dance to glory

BERHAMPUR: A medley performed by a group of inmates of Berhampur circle jail on a virtual platform has won the first prize in a national-level dance competition organised by a Noida-based organisation.
"The five-minute performance - a mix of modern, folk and Odissi dance - performed by 13 male inmates, including three convicts, won the first prize in the dance competition," said Dhirendranath Barik, senior superintendent of the circle jail, on Sunday.
Barik said the performance of the inmates was videographed in the jail and later sent the video to the organiser.
Clad in white shirts and red ties, five members of the dance group grooved to 'Kashmir Main Tu Kanyakumari' from the Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone film 'Chennai Express'. Others in the group also performed Oddissi and Bhangra, among others.
"The inmates have shown their excellence in dance. The talented inmates also received accolades from different quarters," Barik said. Besides the performers, the director, make-up man and others involved in the performance were also jail inmates, he added.
After getting a letter from the director general of police (prisons) in this regard, the inmates began their preparations in the first week of February. Without any help from professionals, the inmates had prepared the choreography themselves. He said the recording was sent it to the organisation online on February 11.
The competition is not only limited to jail inmates, but also those in old age homes, orphanages and different NGOs.