Chandigarh : What started as a small experiment in Model Jail, Burail is now bringing in the desired fruits of inmates vouching to live life lead by gandhian ideals.. A joint initiative of Yuvsatta, Chandigarh Prisons Department, Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal, KB DAV-7, Gandhi Peace Exam is a novel concept to reach out to prison inmates with messages of nonviolence, forgiveness and harmony.
Today, second batch of 17 inmates who successfully participated and cleared the Gandhi Peace Exam were awarded certificates and Prizes by the Chief Guest Mr. Mahavir Singh, IG, Prisons, Chandigarh Police, 50 more got themselves enrolled for the third batch and .got autobiographies of Mahatma Gandhi from Mr. Mahavir Singh.
Welcoming the efforts of Yuvsatta, an NGO spearheading the drive, Mr. Mahavir Singh said that they’re always open to new ideas and this programme is a step forward to bring the inmates into mainstream of society.
Explaining the initiative Mr. NPS Radhawa, PCS, Suprintendent of the Jail informed that, through this programme they facilitate the opportunity for Jail inmates to read about Mahatma, involve them in weekly orientation lectures on Gandhian philosophy by leading educationists and senior Professors like Dr. Satinder Dhillon, Dr. Ronki Ram, Prof. ML Sharma, Mrs. Surjeet Kaur and Mrs. Madhu Behl. Then they motivate them to participate in an objective type exam at the end of this one month long programme. In between the academic programme they were also shown world acclaimed films like ‘Do Ankhe Barah Hath’, ‘Gandhi’ & ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’.
Giving their view prisoners like Kamaljeet Singh said "My spiritual knowledge has increased by taking part in this programme and I shall follow it’ while Mr. Naveen Kumar was of the opinion that by reading Gandhiji’s autobiography again & again, one gains new insights, he also said that few points like hate the evil and not the evil-doer have been inscribed in his mind for ever, others like Gursewak Singh observed that ‘I’ll follow nonviolence and attitude of help towards others’. But at the same time Amandeep Singh was not so sure who said that ‘Today’s world is different from Gandhiji’s. So, I’ll try to follow some aspects of Gandhiji’s life’.