Indian Museum to host exhibition of paintings done by inmates of correctional home

Kolkata: For the first time in history, the Indian Museum (IM) will host an exhibition of paintings done by the inmates of a correctional home in the city. As many as 34 paintings done out by 14 inmates of Dum Dum Central Correctional Home will be on display at a three-day exhibition titled 'Aitijya — Our Heritage' starting this Monday at the Museum.

The theme for the exhibition is "Old Kolkata" — to commemorate the occasion of World Heritage

Week.

"The proposal for holding such an exhibition came from Rakshak Foundation — an NGO that works with the inmates of the correctional homes in the city. We found that the paintings match the theme of the occasion of World Heritage Week. Hence, we decided to have the paintings on canvas at our courtyard," said Sayan Bhattacharya, Education Officer of IM.

Among all the paintings, 10 have been done by male inmates while four by female inmates. "It was a challenge for the female inmates as they had to paint with their babies along," a senior official of the state Correctional Administration department said.

"There are so many places of historical interest in the city and it is our job to conserve history and heritage.

This will be the message of the exhibition from the inmates who had tirelessly worked for 45 days to bring their idea to life on the canvas," said Chaitali Das, managing trustee of Rakshak

Foundation.

It may be mentioned that Rashid Khan, who is serving a life sentence for masterminding the bomb blast in Central Kolkata's Bowbazar area in 1993, has been an inspiration for the inmates in taking up painting.

Khan was the first among the inmates whose painting exhibition was held at a city art gallery some years ago. Rashid contributes the money earned from selling his paintings to the economically challenged families.

"We have been able to change the very concept of a prison and have transformed it into a 'correctional home' in the real sense of the term. The inmates are encouraged in several vocations and

even in cultural activities with the intention — that when they end their tryst here and go out they are reformed and can eke out a living on their own," said state Correctional Affairs minister Ujjal

Biswas.

The inauguration ceremony at IM on Monday will be attended by Director General of Correctional Services Arun Kumar Gupta, Vinit Kumar, chairman of Kolkata Port Trust and Rajesh Purohit, Director of IM and also noted painters like Suvaprasanna and Wasim Kapoor.