· Haryana Prisons complete first phase of Prison Radio in the state
Central Jail, Ambala has launched its prison radio, being
third in the state. It is inaugurated by Shri Rajeev Arora, IAS, ACS
Home & Jails, Shri K. Selvaraj, IPS,
Director General of Prisons, Haryana and Shri Lakhbir Singh Brar, Superintendent
of Ambala Jail and Dr. Vartika Nanda, Founder, Tinka Tinka. The Prison Radio in Haryana is the brainchild
of India’s leading prison reformer Vartika Nanda. She heads the Department of
Journalism in Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and is the founder of
Tinka Tinka, a movement on prison reforms.
The jail radio is aimed at addressing vital communication
need of 1100 inmates lodged in this jail. This jail is one of the three central
jails of Haryana and also a historical jail of India which witnessed the
execution of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1949. The
purpose of the prison radio is to promote art, creativity and harmony in the
jail.
21 inmates were chosen as Radio Jockeys from the
Haryana Prisons, out of which 6 are from the Ambala jail. They were part of an
intense radio presentations skill training program organised in December 2020 by
Dr. Vartika Nanda. Following this, first prison radio of the state was inaugurated
in Panipat on January 16 by Shri Ranjeet
Singh, Jail Minister of Haryana, Shri
Rajeev Arora, IAS, ACS Home & Jails, Shri K. Selvaraj, IPS, Director General of Prisons, Haryana and Shri
Devi Dayal, Superintendent of Panipat Jail and Dr. Vartika Nanda,
Founder, Tinka Tinka. Later, prison radio commenced operations in District
Jail, Faridabad in the same month.
Prison radio in Ambala will operate from a specially
designed studio in the jail premises for an hour on a daily basis. According to
Shri Rajeev Arora, ACS Home & Jails, “This prison radio is certainly
going to change the perception of outsiders towards inmates and will also help
them reform through the process.” Speaking on the occasion, Director General of
Prisons, Shri K. Selvaraj said, “One can easily see the change in the
lives of inmates because of prison radio. This launch marks the completion of
the first phase of prison radio in Haryana and we are now beginning the second
phase in 4 other jails. He expressed his deep satisfaction at the progress made
by inmates in both the jails where prison radio has been recently operationalised.
Shri Lakhbir Singh, Superintendent of the jail remarked,” We are pleasantly
surprised to see inmates enthusiastically engaging on a daily basis for
executing the preparatory steps of prison radio. It has increased peace and
tranquility in the jail environ. The
jail room became a place of happiness and creativity and it will continue to be
the one. ”
Vartika Nanda, who has conceptualised and
trained the inmates, commented, “I had launched first prison radio in District
Jail, Agra in 2019 and have been observing the change that prison radio has
brought to the lives of inmates. So far 21 inmates of Haryana Prisons have
earned the identity of being Radio Jockeys and we are hopeful that this skill
will help their reformation and reintegration into the society. I am already in
the process of finalising module for the next phase of prison radio in the
state.”
Haryana has 19 jails and the state plans to start
prison radio in almost all the jails to help in the reformation process of
inmates. Interestingly, a prison library has also been recently opened in
District Jail, Panipat to further improve the levels of literacy in jails and
help inmates in a better contribution towards jail radio. This prison library
is also an initiative of Tinka Tinka Foundation.
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