Love binds within Prison Walls

What enabled me to over score the hordes of fotog’s in Bhopal was my capability to write, and this special imbibe was induced into me by my friends Jayant Kodkani, Vinay Kamat, Sumit Chakraberti and Balasubramanium at the start of my career with the Times of India , Bangalore edition in 1987-88. They ensured and taught me the art of news writing with a little flair so that the end product is readable by the common man on the streets.
Well this story too was another plus in the Hindustan Times when I reported the scene from the field and ensuring that the paper just did not carry a stand alone image but have an overall picture of the festive mood with in boundaries of the Jail premises during Raksha Bandhan – in 2000.

Even as the Prime minister was busy in New Delhi getting rachis tied by men and women of all faiths or rakshabandhan, the scene was no different at the Bhopal Central Jail. More than 3,500 inmates queued up to get their tied with the bonds of filial love by their sisters and brothers. Religion was no bar as Muslim inmates got their rachis from the Hindu siblings of their fellow inmates. Muslims inmates, present in large numbers, freely joined in the festivities making it a unique celebrations of communal harmony within the four walls of the prison.
The scene was one of total emotion for the jail inmates and their visitors, with the prison walls being colorfully decked up for the occasion with Dharis put up inside the main wall.
For some, and among them the jailer and the superintendent, it was a busy day ensuring no untoward incident took place. But their anxiety on that count seemed misplaced, for untoward ness of any kind seemed farthest from the minds of any one within the prison walls today.
Outside the jail, the relatives were allowed in, 25 persons to a group, on a first cum first basis after registering their names at the main entrance.
Inmates, who had no visitors, were moved to tears by getting rachis tied by the relatives of their fellow inmates.

The women inmates were also given a chance to participate on the joyous occasion with rachis supplied by the jail staff to tie to their visiting brothers.
Ramlal, an inmate, shed tears of joy seeing his sister, wife and their 6-month old baby. “I had committed a crime when she (the baby) was in her mother’s womb. I thank god for giving me this opportunity to see my baby now,” he said.
Razia Begum (name changed) was equally emotional to see her husband being tied a rakhi by relatives of a fellow inmate.
As for Heera, serving time for murder and who has had no visitors calling on him for the past two years, this year has been no different. But no regrets, he says. “No one has come to tie me rakhi, but my heart wells up just seeing my fellow inmates getting heir rakhis tied by their sisters.”
But in the end, the time granted to meet their relatives proved only too cruelly short. Not a few relatives complained about the short time given (15 minutes per inmate) with their loved ones. The jailer replied that they had to be very careful as these are women we have to deal with.
After the relatives left, it was back to the prison routine. The inmates were thoroughly frisked, their tiffin boxes and other pooja items checked before being handed back to them. Checking over, it was time to go back to their cells.
For at least once in the year, on rakshabandhan, it was their brothers that the women had come to see and not a condemned criminal.