Prison Radio in the Jails of Uttarakhand

September 23, 2021

Inmates of Dehradun's Sudhowala Jail to become Radio Jockeys, Auditions are over, Training starts from today

●     Auditions completed in Dehradun's Sudhowala Jail to prepare inmates as radio jockeys

●     About 20 inmates of the jail had submitted the application, including 5 women inmates.

●     A soundproof studio is being prepared in the jail

●     The selection and training of inmates will be the responsibility of Dr. Vartika Nanda, the founder of Tinka Tinka 

14 inmates from Dehradun jail are all set to work as radio jockeys for the upcoming jail radio. This is part of the initiative to bring Jail Radio in the jails of Uttarakhand.

District Jail Dehradun was chosen as the first to start the radio station. the capital of Uttarakhand

Purpose and the Process

to connect the inmates with positive work and to reduce their stress. Inmates

Inmates in Sudhowala Jail in Dehradun, were informed about this in the month of July and encouraged to submit their names to become radio jockeys. After this, the first stage was initiated in the jail and then the process of audition was materialized.  

Jail reformer Dr. Vartika Nanda has been given the responsibility of bringing radio to the jail. She is also credited with bringing radio to the jails of Haryana in 2021 and the oldest jail of the country, District Jail Agra, in 2019. She is the founder of Tinka Tinka. She heads the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi.

Soundproof Studio in Jail

Several male and female inmates lodged in the jail have applied for the role of radio jockeys. Tinka Tinka will provide professional radio jockey training to the applicants who pass the audition and will also be given a certificate. A soundproof studio is being set up in the jail. This radio will be based on the Tinka Model of Prison Reforms. Jail Radio will cater to both the information and entertainment needs of the prison. This will give an opportunity to the talented inmates to showcase their talent through various programs. This radio will also give information about the daily official activities in the jail. Apart from this, songs of choice, information about going to court, information about the activities of the jail administration, familial meetings and other topics, will also be provided and focused on.

Inspired by Haryana jails

Uttarakhand Jail Radio is divided into three phases that will include 10 jails. District Jail Dehradun, District Jail Haridwar and Sub-Jail Haldwani have been selected for the first phase. This selection was done by the then Inspector General of Prisons, Shri AP Anshuman.

According to Dehradun jail Superintendent Shri Dadhiram and Jailor Shri Pawan Kothari, the main objective of making inmates radio jockeys is to encourage them for a new life by giving them a platform to air their talents.

About Dr. Vartika Nanda

Vartika Nanda is a prison reformer. Tinka Tinka is her series of prison reforms. She started the radio in 2019, at District Jail, Agra, the oldest jail building in the country. She has been honoured with the Stree Shakti Award from the then President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee in 2014. Her works on prisons have twice found a place in the Limca Book of Records. Currently, she heads the Department of Journalism in Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi.

The state's first prison radio in Haryana was inaugurated by the Jail Minister Ranjit Singh at the District Jail of Panipat on January 16, 2021. There are a total of 19 jails in Haryana, out of which 3 are Central Jails. So far, the radio has been introduced in 7 jails and 47 inmates have been given training as radio jockeys. These include 10 women and one transgender.