Tihar Jail’s New Initiative Plans To Reform Inmates Through Art

This week, in the midst of South Asia’s largest jail, a sliver of hope shone through. The prisoners got a chance to step outside their world of hatred and violence and experience the soothing and cathartic effects of art. In a five-day event that began on August 19th, twenty artists and sculptors collaborating with the Lalit Kala Akademi (National Art Academy) took over the prison to hold workshops, classes and exhibitions for over 100 inmates who showed interest in the arts.

The movement is set to expand with Director General of Tihar, Sudhir Yadav, sending out invitations to 20 states encouraging the participation of inmates wanting to contribute the project. It’s a huge leap towards the final goal of what he calls, the “Tihar School of Art”. Though for some, wielding a paintbrush was an entirely novel experience, the results spoke for themselves. Creativity burst forth from every seam with depictions of everything from monochromatic barbed wire fences to pink butterflies serving as metaphors of their lost freedom. This project demonstrated unequivocally the benefits of having an artistic outlet.

Tihar is well-known for their stance on inmate reformation, all possible efforts are taken to ensure that prisoners leave the facility with new skills, hope and potentially a better outlook on life. In the past they have held inter-prison dance and music festivals and the Tihar Olympics in an effort to realise this goal. This continued dedication to reform and belief that inmates deserve a second chance at life after their release bodes well for the future of India’s prison system which for so long has been a vortex of hopelessness and despair.