Three inmates of Central Jail, Sabarmati in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) found themselves at the epicentre of storytelling on the coveted Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcast on 31st March 2023. Their story of showcasing par excellence creativity and achieving national recognition was exclusively featured on the much-awaited 60th episode of the Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcast. This episode revolved around Dr. Vartika Nanda’s visit to Central Jail, Sabarmati. The visit was specially planned to celebrate the 8th year of Tinka Tinka India Awards, the only awards in the country that are conferred to inmates and jail staff for their contributions towards reformation in Indian jails. It was revealed that the three inmates chosen for this episode were the winners of Tinka Tinka India Awards 2022. This year, the esteemed guest for the event – Dr. KLN Rao. ADG Prisons, Gujarat – felicitated the selected jail staff and inmates at Central Jail, Sabarmati, where these awards were hosted. The theme was ‘Newspapers in Jail.’
What is the Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcast?
Tinka Tinka Jail Radio is the first and exclusive podcast on prison reforms in India. Starting in 2020, these episodes have till now covered various shades and contours of life in Indian and international jails. From discussing the struggles of children who live in the prison with their incarcerated parent in the first episode, to detailing and discussing the many achievements under the Tinka Tinka Jail Radio project, these podcasts have come a long way in introducing the outside world to the jails of our nation. This one-of-a-kind podcast series is released on the YouTube channel of Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms. It is the only YouTube channel in the mediascape which, through this exclusive podcast, broadcasts the stories, original songs, and the journey of inmates in the jails of India and abroad.
The Essence of Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcasts
Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms Podcast, in their 16th episode, also gave a platform to the musical genius of Sheru, a 40-year-old inmate serving a 10-year sentence at Central Jail, Ambala, whose composition made a reverberating impact on the outside world in May 2021. While the world was grappling to deal with the pandemic, the vibrations of his musical rhythm provided comfort and solace to the inmates at a time when they were unable to have their families visit them due to the lockdown. Sheru’s composition also received appreciation from the Union Health Minister on his various social media handles. Sheru’s journey to fame showcases the reformative and creative expansion happening across the jails of Haryana, Dehradun, and Agra, brought to the public domain by the exclusive series on prison reforms titled Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcast.
Impact of Tinka Tinka Awards and Podcast
The podcast shed light on the happiness, spiritual satisfaction and pride felt by the inmates and their families when they saw their work being recognized and appreciated on a national level through these awards. Such an achievement was earlier unfathomable for the inmates. This special moment was etched in the hearts of the awardees, jail administration, and the team of Tinka Tinka. For the past 8 years, these awards have been successful in finding light amidst darkness, helping inmates look beyond their past, and immerse themselves in creativity, reformation, and optimism.
Groundbreaking Initiatives by Tinka Tinka: Jail Ki Pathshala
Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcasts have laid emphasis on the living conditions and educational facilities provided to inmates, and the journey of composing original songs and storytelling under the Tinka Tinka Jail Radio initiative of training inmates in the art of radio production. The podcast episodes are conceptualized, narrated, and hosted by Dr. Vartika Nanda, founder of the Tinka Tinka Foundation (TTF), a movement to reform India’s prisons. As witnessed in their recent project at Haryana Jail Radio, Tinka Tinka Foundation has been lauded for their one-of-a-kind segment called ‘Jail Ki Pathshala’, signifying yet another step towards the training and skill enhancement of inmates through education. This initiative also encourages them to be on the path towards achieving literacy, and subsequently leads them towards pursuing higher education. TTF has now opened this platform for students so that they too can be sensitized on the issues concerning prison reforms.
About Vartika Nanda
Tinka Tinka Foundation is the brainchild of prison reformer and media educator Dr. Vartika Nanda who is credited for bringing jail radio to Haryana. These are assuring a new cultural life to inmates by offering them the vocal medium to share their emotions, thoughts and musical expressions with society. These endeavours have received special support from administrators focused specifically on prison reform.Tinka Tinka’s inspiring endeavours in transforming India’s prison life have been documented in the form of three books – Tinka Tinka Tihar, Tinka Tinka Dasna and Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh. These books have been recognised as real narratives on human rights and prison reforms. Work done by TTF was taken cognizance by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. Vartika Nanda’s recent research on the “Study of the condition of women inmates and their children in Indian Prisons and their communication needs with special reference to Uttar Pradesh” has been evaluated as ‘outstanding’ by ICSSR. Currently, she heads the Department of Journalism, Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.
Selected Links of Tinka Tinka Jail Radio:
*YOUTUBE LINK OF THE 60TH EPISODE OF TINKA TINKA JAIL PODCAST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZy14aSGou0
1. Tinka Tinka Jail Radio: Episode 56: Republic Day, Bilaspur Jail & Tinka Tinka India Awards – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zgiAhWzX4U
2. Tinka Tinka Jail Radio: Ep 43: Oslo Jail, Norway – Living Conditions & Isolation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgV0mt3gpA4
3. Ep 34: One year of Haryana Jail Radio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sk1GewUFks&t=94s
4. Ep 24: Tinka Tinka Jail Radio: Agra Jail Radio completes two years – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6EzE4t01bI
For further details, subscribe to –
YouTube Channels: Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms https://www.youtube.com/@tinkatinkaprisonreforms4559, Vartika Nanda https://www.youtube.com/@vartikananda76
Instagram: Vartika Nanda https://www.instagram.com/vartikananda/?hl=en
Facebook: Vartika Nanda https://www.facebook.com/people/Dr-Vartika-Nanda/100063911672378/
Twitter: Vartika Nanda https://twitter.com/vartikananda, Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms https://twitter.com/tinkatinkaorg1
( This article has been written under the aegis of Tinka Prison Research Cell, launched in April 2021, by K. Selvaraj, DG, Prisons, Haryana.)
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