Inmates in Bhondsi jal to undergo reform through music lessons

Gurugram: Over the years, inmates in Gurugram's Bhondsi jail have become notorious for assaulting officials, possessing mobile phones and even making extortion threats, all while being incarcerated in the jail.

However, amid all the negativity, a positive step is being taken to reform the over 2,000 prisoners lodged in the jail through music.

Project 'Dhun' (musical tune) has been initiated at the jail, through the collaboration of a private broadcaster and an NGO founded by Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi.

Under the initiative, not only will the best singers among the inmates be selected, but they will also be trained professionally to earn a respectable livelihood after being released.

A small music room, complete with various instruments, has already been set up inside the jail premises.

"The launch of project Dhun in Bhondsi prison will teach inmates to play musical instruments and provide them with the requisite skillsm so that they can be rehabilitated in the society after they come out of the prison.

"This project will also ensure that they are duly accepted in the society and will, thereby, prevent recidivism," said Bedi, who was the first woman to join the Indian Police Service.

"This dhun will reform and shall spread. It is a transformative and soul-stirring dhun which will touch the soul," added Bedi, who in the past has also been credited for bringing in reformation among the prisoners in Delhi's Tihar jail.

"Project Dhun emphasises on creating a positive impact on the social ecosystem and is built around the three pillars empowerment, education and environment," said an official statement of the private broadcaster involved in the project.

"This initiative is about empowerment through music. The project aims to use the powerful medium of music for rehabilitation of inmates; thus preparing them for a successful reintegration into society post their prison term," the statement further read.

Based on the success of this project, there are also plans that the model could be replicated in the jails of Rohtak and Sonepat in Haryana, as well as in Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.