Patriotic Wake-up Call @ Jail
Prison life is not exactly synonymous with the nationalist spirit, but starting Friday prisoners in major jails across Tamil Nadu will wake up at the crack of dawn to the sound of patriotic songs. Launching the programme on former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday, prison staff will play songs between 6 and 6.30 in the mornings and evenings every day. Among the records to be played are songs of Bharathiyar, Bharathidasan and AR Rahman’s Vande Mataram. “It is the right time to instill patriotism among prisoners in prisons across the state. Such songs will bring in a sense of national pride and also help criminals develop values in life.It is the lack of such values that result in violence as witnessed at the Dr Ambedkar Law College on Wednesday,” DGP prisons R Nataraj told The Times Of India. As part of the rejuvenation exercise in the morning and evening, patriotic songs beginning with Tamil Thai Vazhthu will be played. “We have purchased compact discs with several songs and distributed them to all the major prisons in Vellore, Palayamkottai, Madurai, Salem, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Tiruchi and Chennai. We have an in-built audio system in these prisons with small speakers fixed in every corridor. The songs will be audible to all the inmates,” a prison officer said.
After every six months, new songs will be included to the play list. There are no proposals to implement this in the sub-jails, but if a superintendent wishes to, he or she can do it after acquiring permission from headquarters. Officials said they were waiting for a good day to launch the scheme when November 14, also celebrated as Children’s Day, came along. Another official said, “Not all inmates may be amused by the idea, but we are sure that it will have a positive impact. The songs will stir their conscience and guide them to the right track.”
