Candles made by inmates of the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi will light up homes in the State capital this Diwali. A mobile van, carrying handicraft and handloom items made by the prisoners, has been flagged off by the jail authorities for exhibition and sale of items made by the jail inmates.
The vehicle used for the sale cum exhibition of handmade items is a prisoner’s van purchased back in 2007 but unused since then, jail authorities said. This van will be parked in different busy localities of the city during the festive season, and commoners will be able to purchase items from it. On Tuesday, the van was parked near Booty More, where it grabbed the attention of several passersby.
For about two years the jail authorities could not organise any means of exhibiting or selling items made by prisoners due to Covid-19 restrictions. This year, however, they decided to flag off a mobile van to ensure that commoners get to see and purchase the products made by jail inmates.
“The items on sale mostly include candles, bedsheets, towels, quilts, decorative items, soaps, surface cleaners, toys and even flowers grown in the garden of the Ranchi jail,” said Jail Superintendent Hamid Akhtar. “During their stay in the jail, prisoners usually learn new skills like weaving, stitching, candle-making or gardening,” he added.
Prisoners also get paid for their work once they are released after serving their jail term, jail authorities said.
The items on display for sale in this mobile van are priced between Rs.8 to Rs.800. A rose is sold for Rs.8, while the price of a quilt has been set at Rs.800, jail authorities said.
As per records with the jail administration, there are at least 3400 prisoners in the Ranchi jail and all of them are involved in some or the other activity.
“The response has been decent so far, and we have been selling quite a few products, especially candles,” said Akhter, adding that candles of different shapes, sizes and colours are available keeping the Diwali market in mind.
The jail authorities also started organic farming lessons for the inmates in collaboration with the Birsa Agriculture University earlier this year. Organic vegetables grown in the jail premises will also be sold in the market next year, jail authorities said.