Nov 23, 2020

Podcast on Prisons

Exclusive prison radio dedicated to prison reforms

  • Released by Shri Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Member, National Human Rights Commission
  • Conceptualised by prison reformer Vartika Nanda, this is a part of Tinka Tinka series, aiming to bring prisons together
  • Weekly broadcasts featuring insightful stories about prions
  • Broadcasts will be on the website of Tinka Tinka Foundation

Inmates lodged in Central Jail, Bhopal, Model Jail, Chandigarh and Central Jail, Jaipur have one thing in common. They all have contributed in helping the outside world during Covid-19 by making masks and sanitizers. Such ongoing efforts have largely gone unnoticed. With nearly 1400 jails in India, several inmates have done extraordinary work in bringing difference to the jail-life but these are hardly discussed in a public forum. To bring into light such significant contribution of inmates, a podcast exclusively for the incarcerated has been launched. Tinka Tinka Jail News would focus on untold stories of prisons. Created by Vartika Nanda, prison reformer and founder of Tinka Tinka, this series aims to document prison life through audio narratives. It will focus on the special contributions of inmates during Covid-19 for the next few episodes and encourage them to send their nominations for Tinka Tinka India Awards. These national awards are given annually on the occasion of International Human Rights Day to celebrate creativity in jails.

This podcast is released by Shri Dnyaneshwar Mulay, IFS (Retd) Member, National Human Rights Commission and former Secretary, Government of India, Releasing the podcast, Shri Mulay said, “ This is an absolutely novel idea which would certainly address the communication needs of inmates. The concept of involving women inmates in this endeavour is welcoming. One can hope that Tinka Tinka will help in the reformation process in jails.”

The podcast will be sent to the stake holders on a regular basis to initiate the process of change and include valuable suggestions for the improvement of the living conditions of inmates in general and their communication needs in particular. 

Background: Tinka Tinka is an initiative by Dr. Vartika Nanda, a prison reformer, to bring change in the lives of the inmates. Her three books, Tinka Tinka Tihar, Tinka Tinka Dasna and Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh depict life in prisons through unique expressions. Her website on prisons, www.tinkatinka.org was released by Shri Kiren Rijiju, MOS, Home while her song, Tinka Tinka Tihar, was released by Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Sumitra Mahajan. Tinka Tinka is her movement on prison reforms.