Teachers provide skill training to Udaipur jail prisoners

Priyank Kashyap, a guitarist, has a jail stamp on his hand. So does Rahul Singh, a dance teacher. Though not convicts, they bear the stamp of the Udaipur Central Jail in Rajasthan since they visit the prison to train inmates in music and dance.

It allows them to step inside the heavily-secured jail and be part of a noble initiative for imparting lessons to those behind bars for crimes they had committed while being outside.

The lessons are intended to erase the past scars of the prisoners and help them rediscover their self-esteem and give them a new identity. Started in 2018, Swaraj Jail University is a part of Udaipur Central Jail, where inmates of the jail are taught music, dance, yoga, mime, computer and graphic designing and farming among others.

This project is not a part of any central or state university. It was actualised by a few NGOs such as the Art of Living, Shikshantar, Gandhi Ashram, Edible Routes Foundation and Navgurukul in collaboration with the Udaipur jail authorities. It aims to bring about a compassionate change in the lives of the prisoners.

The power of unconditional support

Teachers such as Priyank and Rahul are helping to bring about that change. Also among the 13 other teachers are a few convicts such as Parmeshwar and Jarnail Singh. They are said to be the most revered by the inmate students since they apparently value peer-to-peer learning. 

Priyank’s childhood was spent in Old Delhi. “I grew up listening to the lyrical tunes of Azaan from Jama Masjid,” he said. That’s how music approached me, he added. “I knew about this varsity and left Delhi to teach the inmates music.”

The NGO Shikshantar pays him for the classes he provides. “It’s more of a spiritual journey and less about money,” he explained.

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“I never ask them what crime landed them in jail,” said Priyank, the 33-year-old guitar trainer. “Our music talks. Rest is the responsibility of the guitar strings,” he added.

His trips to the jail to train the inmates have already brought about profound changes in some. Two of his prisoner students – Ashish and Shoeb – are now part of a group of jail inmates who have set up a music band of their own after being freed.

The band has been named Naya Savera. The name, meaning new dawn, is very apt. It has been a new beginning for many. Priyank’s students also include one Ravi Dudani, arrested in a case relating to a big drug haul. “Priyank is my guru (teacher)” — Ravi’s jail diary read.

Priyank is not intimidated by the inmates, irrespective of their pasts. “I have never been scared of them. They have been my students – the most dedicated ones. What else does a teacher require,” he quipped. For the teachers at the jail, music sessions follow protracted conversations with each of the inmates. “The first thing we do is to see if they are depressed. We talk and listen, then comes the guitar,” Priyank pointed out.

More often than not, even the hardened criminals among the prisoners respond positively. “They are the most focused and patient people I have seen. They just practice one string for hours if I ask them to.” Priyank added.

Initially, about 60 inmates of the jail opted for guitar classes. Over time, some of them were freed and a few others went on to learn other things taught in the jail. Currently, Priyank has 35 students taking guitar lessons from him.

For the love of art

Making trips to the jail to impart tuition has become an integral part of the teachers. Priyank has been going to Udaipur jail for the past four years. Rahul, the dance teacher, is relatively new. He has been visiting for the past six months. All teachers from outside do not need to visit the jail every day. They come as and when they are needed.

Rahul’s motto – if you don’t dance, dance, and if you can’t dance, dance more – has served him well, helping him to bond well with his prisoner-inmates. One inmate, for that matter, was transferred out of Udaipur jail, prompting him to request the authorities to let him stay back so that he could continue with his dance lessons under Rahul.

“Dance is not just movement of the body parts, it’s that emotion which you have to feel from your heart,” Rahul pointed out. From the evidence available, some of the inmates have rediscovered their emotions while dancing.

The jail authorities are thrilled at the progress of their project. Their idea has always been to equip the inmates with skills that could help them heal and become better human beings.

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Women inmates at the jail have the options of learning weaving, natural dyeing, and food processing among other things. “We work with them to make them self-sufficient,” said Komal Paliwal, who visits the jail to teach the prisoners to make artefacts.

More importantly, the teachers at the Udaipur jail are assisting the inmates to regain their self-esteem. They do so by visiting the jail – the jail stamps on their hands granting them access to their pupils behind bars.

The lead image at the top shows Udaipur jail inmates are being taught several things – from music and dance to yoga and even food processing (Photo by Amir Malik)

Amir Malik is a freelance journalist based in Bihar. He writes about health, women and children and their interaction with nature. He is a Rural Media Fellow 2022 at Youth Hub, Village Square.