Inmates turn RJs as Yerawada jail gets a ‘radio station’

Desai said, “Barracks, barring the high security barracks, of Yerawada jail have television sets showing limited channels. We wanted to have something of our own. We have a lot of talented inmates. We are calling the initiative Radio YCP. There will be a one-hour programme between noon and 1 pm when inmates have free time. All those involved are convicts. A separate studio has been set up. The purpose is to give inmates their own space for expression.”

The programme, said Desai will focus on a separate theme every day. Between discussions, songs will be played. “On some days, there will be interviews of personalities invited to our studio. There will be songs on demand and a programme where we will try to solve problems faced by inmates with help of counsellors. The questions will be read out without naming the inmate. The jockeys have been selected after auditions.” The jail has over 3,500 inmates, including undertrials.

Sources from the jail said there were plans of roping in Sanjay Dutt as a radio jockey. “Somehow it did not work out. I think it requires a different set of skill to be a radio jockey,” said an officer.

Desai said, “Right now, we have two inmates to play jockeys, one of them will anchor the show in Marathi and the other in Hindi.” He said, “There will be informative programmes with focus on legal issues. Legal experts and prisons officers will talk to prisoners about their rights, laws and amendments.”

Goods made in prison get a brand name, logo  

The prisons department Tuesday formally inaugurated the registered brand and the logo for products that jail inmates manufacture in its units and crop grown in farms of prisons in the state. Yerawada central jail has a bakery, a leather workshop, a carpentry unit, a metal workshop, a weaving unit, paperbag making unit, a unit for production of Maharashtrian snacks and a farm in the open jail to grow various crops. ADGP (Prisons) Meeran Borwankar said, “The idea was to give the products an identity. So we have launched it as a brand with a logo.” The brand will be called MaKa, for Maharashtra Karagruh. Jail superintendent Yogesh Desai said, “Production from all units has gone up this year. The permanent exhibition of products received a great response this year.”