Labour of love

One of the stalls in the Delhi Pavilion at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, had products of a strange and hereto unheard company 'TJ's Special' during its Annual International Trade Fair recently. And the vast array of products under this banner, from handloom shawls, carry bags, potato chips, savouries, envelopes, paintings, greeting cards, washing soap and what have you, attracted many people.

It was just as well. These TJ's Special (short for Tihar jail) were the handiwork of none other than the over 11,000 inmates of one of the largest and most infamous jails of Asia. Notorious until now for housing some of the most dreaded outlaws, this development comes as a welcome change.

All the TJ's Special, be it potato chips or mustard oil, have been the outcome of the reformation and rehabilitation programme being run in the jail since the last four years.

The idea was to keep the prisoners occupied in something creative but not even the authorities had imagined the inmates could work to produce goods of such excellent quality.

The authorities are so confident about their quality that they vouch that any TJ's Special product can match and even excel its famous counterparts in the market. It is for this reason that efforts are now afoot to introduce the Tihar jail goodies in the open market.

"Hundreds of people have come to our stall making queries about the products and are even placing orders. All of them are surprised that the prisoners could make such fine quality products," says Ajay Bhatia, assistant superintendent, Tihar jail.

He explained that the idea of putting up a stall at the trade fair was to show the world that people who had been condemned by society and locked up in jail did have the potential to redeem themselves.

The jail officials say that the prisoners were more than happy to involve themselves in an activity that would not only provide creative satisfaction and also give them an opportunity to acquire a skill they could possible use at the end of their jail term. Besides it was also a means to break the boredom and anguish that incarceration brings. And no one regretted the Rs 15 a day stipend they got for their effort.

That such creative involvement motivates prisoners was evident as the TJ's Special stall at the fair was designed and decorated by none other than an ex-Tihar jail inmate.

Pictures by Subhash Bhardwaj