Results Announced

23 inmates and 3 jail administrators to receive National Tinka Tinka India Awards: Human Rights Day

• 23 inmates and 3 jail staff  will be awarded Tinka Tinka India Awards 2024 
• Out of the 23 inmates, 13 are convicts and 10 are under trials. 
• This year the theme for painting was:Visitation in Jail. Winners in the painting category include 11 men and 5 women.
• A foreign national inmate is being felicitated this year. Uttar Pradesh is leading with the number of winners this year with a total of 7. A doctor is also being honoured with Special Mention.
• This year the jury members were Shri Ajay Kashyap, IPS (retd.), Former DG Prisons, Delhi and K. Selvaraj, IPS (retd.), Former DG, Haryana Prisons and Dr. Vartika Nanda, founder, Tinka Tinka Foundation.

PAINTING : Vasant Bhai Karsanbhai Chauhan, the winner of FIRST PRIZE for the painting category created a painting titled “storyline of mulakaat”. He had been working in the jail canteen. His entry for the award has made the jail officials realize that Vasant should be encouraged to paint which is why he will now be shifted t0 the painting section. Tinka Tinka India Awards have provided a platform to a talent like Vasant, to take centre stage.

Gayatri Deori, an inmate lodged in Tihar Jail  6, Delhi, is a recipient of SECOND PRIZE for her painting on the theme: Visitation in Jail. Gayatri,a  graduate and a teacher by profession is lodged in Tihar jail for since 2023.

THIRD PRIZE is being awarded to Anand Singh, an under trial lodged in District Jail, Lucknow since 2018.

13 inmates  are  the recipients of CONSOLATION prize under the painting category. Out of them, 8 are convicts and 5 are under trials. The winners include 9 men and 4 women. The highest number of winners are from Uttar Pradesh, a total of 3 inmates (Nawaab lodged in District Jail Ghaziabad, Ram Kripal  lodged in District Jail, Lucknow and Shikha, lodged in District Jail Mirzapur). There are 2 winners each from Chhattisgarh (Khetan Nirmalkar from Central Jail, Raipur and Neeta Saraf from Central Jail, Bilasupur), Maharashtra (Avinash Arjun Lokegaonkar from Yerwada Open District Prison, Pune and Suresh Ramsingh Vishwakarma from Central Prison, Thane) and Uttarakhand (Bharat Joshi from District Jail, Dehradun and Girish Lal from District Jail, New Tehri ). Winners from other states include Lalit of Model Jail, Chandigarh, Megha Pramodbhai Shah of Central Jail, Sabarmati, Gujarat, Mohan Lal of District Jail, Karnal, Haryana and S. Apsana of Special Prison for Women, Vellore ,Tamil Nadu. 

SPECIAL MENTION : This award is conferred upon inmates who demonstrate exceptional initiative and contribute meaningfully to the well-being and upliftment of their peers, thereby enriching the collective prison experience. There are 4 winners in this category, out of which 3 are convicts and 1  is an  under trial.

Prajapati Hardik Rajendrabhai serving a life sentence in Ahmedabad Central Jail, Gujarat has been awarded SPECIAL MENTION for his efforts in revolutionizing education in his prison by educating 100 other inmates for the Class 10th and 12th exams, with 54 prisoners successfully passing between 2022 and 2024. In 2024 alone, 16 prisoners passed the 10th grade, and 18 passed the 12th grade, achieving a 100% result. His meticulous efforts have earned him this recognition.

Ashok Kumar a convict lodged in District Jail, Karnal, Haryana since 2019 is being awarded Special Mention as well. He has strived to motivate illiterate inmates for education and the literate ones to pursue higher education through Tinka Jail Radio. 

Mahesh Shamrao Pawar a convict in Yerwada Open District Prison, Pune, Maharashtra will also be the recipient of Special Mention for his meritorious contributions as a BMHS graduate and Doctor. He has provided exceptional medical support to other inmates since 2016. Despite losing his father to COVID, he continued serving selflessly. He has managed health camps for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and COVID-19, and served as a Para Legal Volunteer.

Bharat Khare an under trial from District Jail, Agra, Uttar Pradesh is also being felicitated for imparting the knowledge of craftsmanship to other inmates. Presently serving as the  Assistant Sarpanch of the Inmate Council in Agra Jail, Bharat came into the jail with no knowledge of shoe manufacturing.With the guidance of the jail administration, he learnt the craft and helped establish a thriving shoe industry. He also trained fellow inmates into skilled craftsmen. His leadership enabled many to earn and support their families.

TINKA TINKA BANDINI AWARD: This award is dedicated to female inmates with meaningful contributions to prison life. There are 3 winners under this category from Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. 2 of them are under trials while 1 is a convict.

Maureen Kanyanga , a foreign national (Zamibian) and an under trial inmate lodged in Tihar Jail 6 since 2021 is being presented with the Tinka Tinka Bandini Award. After the loss of her husband, Late Humphrey Kanyanga, she found purpose in helping inmates overcome depression, handling challenges with empathy, and inspiring others to continue their education. A role model and a pillar of strength for other inmates, she contributes selflessly to jail life and is even eager to learn Hindi to connect further.

Sonia, an undertrial inmate lodged in Central Jail, Patiala, Punjab since 2021 is being felicitates with Tinka Tinka Bandini Award. She is a role model for other inmates in her prison. Despite having no visitations for herself, she has become the light for others. Selfless and caring, Sonia  spends most of her time helping and motivating other inmates. Her brave contributions for the welfare of her fellow inmates, to a point where she even shares any donations she receives with them,  make her worthy of this recognition.

Ranjana, a convict from Nari Bandi Niketan, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh will be another proud recipient of the Tinka Tinka Bandini Award. In the past 12 years of her incarceration, she has learned the intricate art of Chikankari embroidery. She has worked meticulously to provide an aesthetic enhancement to the prison that has positively affected the prison atmosphere.She has been  teaching chikankari embroidery to other inmates, with more than a dozen women till now who have learned the craft under her guidance. Her infectious positive spirit has also inspired other female inmates in jail to be financially independent.

JAIL ADMINISTRATORS: Jail administrators are also awarded to celebrate their unwavering dedication and recognise their exemplary performance and commitment to duty. Nominations for this prestigious accolade are sent by the respective state’s DG of Prisons. This year, 3 jail administrators are being honoured out of whom, 2 are women.

Brajendra Singh, Senior Superintendent of District Jail, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh  is being honoured for his dedication to the cause of prison reforms. Under his guidance, several progressive initiatives were implemented across various prisons. At Khurja Jail, a tailoring workshop was established, enabling inmates to stitch over 167,000 uniforms. At Shahjahanpur Jail,  a paper bag manufacturing unit was introduced, providing vocational training to over 100 inmates. In collaboration with local NGOs, he initiated skill development programs for inmates at Aligarh Jail, engaging women prisoners in crafting earthen lamps and clay idols.

Raman Sharma has been serving the Delhi Prisons Department since 1996. Among her most notable contributions are the environmental programs she led, including the Gorriya Bachao Project for sparrow conservation and the Zero Plastic Waste Campaign. She also established an art gallery at CJ-14, giving inmates a platform to express their creativity. Raman has been instrumental in launching vocational training programs that empower inmates with life skills, such as setting up a handloom unit, FM studio, and kitchen gardening projects. Raman’s literary contributions include her pivotal role in the 2013 and 2023 editions of the book –Tinka Tinka Tihar.

Safina Hasan, Warder, has been serving as a dedicated female guard at Raipur Central Jail, Chhattisgarh since 2006. Over the past 18 years, she has been instrumental in ensuring the health and safety of inmates, especially in providing immediate medical assistance and hospitalizing those in need. Safina organized regular yoga sessions for female inmates, facilitated legal aid and literacy camps, guided inmates during Lok Adalat sessions and helped them understand their rights. Additionally, she ensured the children in prison were enrolled in ashram schools and provided them with essential items. Her meritorious service has earned her this honour.

MILESTONES: Tinka Tinka Foundation runs the podcast which is the dedicated to prison reforms, has a Prison Research Cell (TTPRC) started in 2021, and is credited with conceptualizing and executing the first systematic prison radio in India. Its founder. Dr. Vartika Nanda, heads the Department of Journalism in Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.