Music and reform from behind bars
It was an unusual evening in the Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal in Jammu recently, where the four desolate corners of the prison came alive with the mellifluous sound of the santoor and Sufi qalams.
SaMaPa Alaap 2012 [the premium classical, Sufi and folk music festival of Jammu and Kashmir] was an attempt to make the lives of the jail inmates just a bit easier with the soothing strains of classical music.
At the function, legendary santoor maestro Pandit Bhajan Sopori enthralled inmates and police personnel alike, and joining him was Sufi diva Ragini Rainu, who mesmerised the audience with her soulful renditions. He was accompanied on tabla by Sarit Das and tanpura by Poushali Dutta.
The function was a testament to the fact that music knows no boundaries and doesn’t distinguish between its listeners. Not only did Pandit Sopori perform, he also made the inmates and staff sing along with him. It was a rare sight to behold at the first ever concert inside the Central Jail, as the music struck a chord with the inmates, who were visibly overwhelmed, acknowledging their hitherto unknown hunger for music.
SaMaPa intends to take it beyond just a function for the inmates, and there are plans to impart training in musical instruments to inmates.
“I am always interested in playing for a cause like this. It’s all about whom I am playing for. The programme here was organised with a motive to provide emotional support to the prisoners and to help them psychologically with music therapy in an effort to make them better human beings,” Pandit Sopori said.
The maestro interacted with the inmates as well during the function. “I am sure some of you know how to write. It will be good to see you express yourself through poetry, ghazals or whichever medium you like,” he told them. He requested the police staff in the jail to allot the inmates some free time, which would allow them to devote time to writing.
“You can send your write-ups to me. We can improvise on it if necessary and I can compose it into a song, which will be known by your name. Let this be your gateway to expressing yourself and pave the way for a sound foundation for your future,” he told the enthralled prisoners.
For Rajni Sehgal, senior superintendent, Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, it was a proud moment when the convicts’ band performed at the concert.
“Most of the inmates here are militants, and some are from across the border. But music has brought them together,” she said. Has she ever been fearful of them? No, she says.
“I am one among them. If I have to die at their hands, nobody can stop it? But I am really happy to see all of them engaged in some kind of activity or another — be it embroidery or cooking or the music band. It is gratifying to see them put their hearts into it.”
Also speaking on the occasion was Naveen Agarwal, IPS, DG Prisons, who termed the concert a major breakthrough by SaMaPa and stressed on the need for such creative avenues to help inmates express themselves through writing and even learning music instruments.
He said, “Music is the best medium to reach the soul of a person. One of the reasons for this concert was to provide mental peace to the prisoners, which would help in reforming them. It will also help relieve some of the tension that they face everyday from being inside a prison.”
Interestingly, Pandit Sopori went to the prison the very next day after the concert and sat with prisoners while they sang and played instruments.
When Rajni asked how many of them want to learn the tabla, guitar or santoor, several hands went up!
Pandit Sopori later shared, “We want to seek affiliation with a university so that these prisoners can get a degree and manage to get secure jobs once they’re out of the prison. I hope the Jammu and Kashmir government extends help so that the inmates can stand on their own feet. After all, what is a life that’s not lived for others?”
[Click here to an article about the SaMaPa Alaap 2012]
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