Jail inmate Sheru is now a star
Release of song on Covid-19 from jail
Sheru,
an inmate lodged in Ambala’s Central Jail, has composed a song on corona.
The jail radio has given him a new identity and now he is also a lyricist and
singer. This musical video has been released today by Central Jail Ambala
and Tinka Tinka Foundation and is uploaded on You Tube platform. The song,
written in Punjabi, revolves around creating awareness on Covid- 19. Its
initial words are- Corona to bach bandya, pata nahi kadon kainoo lag
jana. Muh te mask laga le toon, nahi te tu duniya to jaana.
Who
is Sheru
40-year-old
Sheru is serving 10-year sentence in Central Jail Ambala. He has already
completed three and a half years of imprisonment. He was selected as a
Radio jockey for Jail Radio in December 2020 along with 47 inmates from jails
of Haryana. Since he was more inclined towards writing and singing songs, he
was given the responsibility to create bouquet of his self-composed songs for
the jail radio. Before coming to jail, Sheru had a desire to be a singer but he
never got an opportunity. Jail radio has given him the platform to explore his
musical talent.
About Central Jail Ambala
Central Jail Ambala is one of the oldest and historical jails in the
country. Built in 1872, this jail is one of the three central jails of Haryana
where Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, was hung to death in
1949. With an authorized capacity to house 1228 inmates, this jail currently
has about 1250 inmates. These include 77 women. Currently 4 children are also
living with their mothers in the women's section of the jail.
Cheer in the barracks
The release of the song has been applauded by both jail authorities and
inmates. While releasing this song, Jail Superintendent Shri Lakhbir
Singh Brar said, "Everyday during my daily morning round, I see
all the 6 inmates engrossed in the radio room engaged in their creative work
related to jail radio. While the rest four are busy writing and presenting for
the radio broadcasts, Sheru is generally occupied in writing songs. Release of
Sheru's song will certainly boost morale of the rest of the inmates."
Prison reformer Dr. Vartika Nanda said "The Tinka Model of
Prison Reforms encourages inmates to make maximum use of their capabilities and
talents. We want to promote local culture and dialect. Sheru was given the
responsibility to create songs in his mother tongue. This is our first step. We
are releasing this song on Tinka Jail Radio You Tube Channel and
also Spotify. Tinka Tinka is on a mission to create rainbows
in prisons and this podcast is one part of it.”
The other five radio jockeys of Ambala Jail Radio and other inmates
expressed great pleasure and satisfaction on the release of the song.
Audio editing of the podcast is done by young enthusiast Harsh
Vardhan. Posters for the song are created by Anurag
Kshirsagar. The song will be broadcast on all the jail radios in
Haryana so that the other prisoners get motivated to come out with
such creative ideas. Tinka Tinka is making an attempt to bridge gaps in
jails so that the jails can positively connect with each other.
Background of jail radio
There are a total of 19 jails in Haryana. In 2020, 47 inmates were selected
as radio jockeys from Haryana jails, out of which 6 are from Ambala Jail. These
inmates were trained by Dr. Vartika Nanda, founder of the Tinka Tinka
Foundation, through a radio workshop in December 2020. Jail radio is
conceptualized by Dr. Vartika Nanda. After the completion of the training,
the first jail radio of the state was inaugurated on January
16 this year by Shri Ranjit Singh Jail Minister, Haryana at Panipat. Later,
radio was inaugurated in District Jail, Faridabad and Central Jail,
Ambala.
Ambala Jail Radio was inaugurated on 26 February this year by Shri Rajiv Arora
IAS, Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Jail) and Shri K Selvaraj, IPS,
Director General of Prisons, Haryana.
The
purpose of prison radio is to meet the communication needs of the inmates.
During the Corona pandemic, jail radio has proved to be very helpful in giving
psychological relief to inmates. Ambala Jail Radio broadcasts one hour of radio
daily which operates from specially designed studio.
The second phase of bringing radio to the jails of Haryana has also been
completed. These include District Jail, Karnal, District Jail, Rohtak, District
Jail, Gurugram and Central Jail (I) Hisar. In the third phase, 5 jails have
been selected which are District Jails Sirsa, Sonipat, Jind, Jhajjar and
Yamunanagar.
Another milestone:
This
song was also shared by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister, Government
of India, through his twitter handle and face book platform.
https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan/status/1396348862202142722
https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan/status/1396348862202142722
You Tube Link of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aObMkGTcNQc&list=LL&index=1&t=10s
