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Songs of love and longing find an audience behind walls of Meerut prison
Songs of love and longing find an audience behind walls of Meerut prison
Meerut , Songs about love, separation and betrayal from old Hindi films are proving the most popular among inmates at the Meerut district jail, where an internal radio station plays their requests every day.
The radio station, 'Radio Parvaaz', was launched on May 8 and has since become a source of entertainment and engagement for the inmates. The radio jockey is also an inmate who was trained by the India Vision Foundation.
Meerut Senior Jail Superintendent Viresh Raj Sharma told PTI on Sunday that the jail administration had provided space for the radio station, while the India Vision Foundation set up the equipment.
Inmates submit their song requests through slips a day in advance and the selected songs are played on the radio the following day.
The inmate's name is not announced during the broadcast and only the number of the barrack is mentioned.
Songs from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are the most sought after. Male inmates frequently request songs based on themes of love, separation and betrayal, besides devotional songs and melodies related to life's circumstances.
Among women inmates, songs about love and emotional pain are popular. There is also considerable demand for songs associated with mothers, children and families.
The jail currently houses around 1,900 male and 63 female inmates.
Muskan Rastogi, who allegedly killed her husband and stuffed the pieces of his body in a blue drum, is among some high-profile women prisoners lodged in Barrack No. 12 of the Chaudhary Charan Singh District Jail.
Besides Rastogi, the women inmates include Damini Panwar, Ravita Kashyap, Komal and Anjali Kumari. Their cases are linked to alleged extramarital or romantic relationships and accusations of murdering their husbands.
According to the jail administration, several women inmates have children living outside the prison and they prefer songs that remind them of their families and children.
"Since the radio was launched, we have seen enthusiasm among the inmates and receive different song requests every day," Sharma said.
He said music and a positive environment could help reduce mental stress among the inmates and contribute to their reform and rehabilitation.
The radio station is equipped with computers, a mixer, high-tech speakers and a 'Saregama Carvaan'. Speakers have been installed in all barracks and the station broadcasts for around two hours each in the morning and evening.
Besides requested songs, Radio Parvaaz broadcasts motivational talks, programmes on life skills and emotional intelligence, social awareness and cultural activities, as well as real-life stories of transformation.
Interested inmates are also given an opportunity to come to the studio and sing songs.
India Vision Foundation Director Monica Dhawan and Prison Programme Head Ravi Kumar Srivastava said the organisation is a registered voluntary, non-profit and non-governmental organisation.
According to the foundation, it operates 11 Radio Parvaaz centres in Uttar Pradesh prisons Agra District Jail, Agra Central Jail, Ghaziabad District Jail, Gautam Buddh Nagar District Jail, Bulandshahr District Jail, Moradabad District Jail, Varanasi Central Jail, Azamgarh District Jail, Meerut District Jail, Saharanpur District Jail and Lucknow District Jail.
The initiative aims to provide entertainment while fostering positive thinking, life skills and social awareness among inmates while preparing them for their return to mainstream society.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
