Nanda Ram Jaisi | Jumla
It’s surrounded by tall walls with barbed wires on top. The gates are securely locked and guarded by armed police. From inside the rooms of this prison in Jumla district, all one can see is the sky above. The 84 prisoners here inhabit a different and dark world. No wonder they feel they are like birds in a cage. But ever since the launch of the ‘Books in Prison’ movement two months ago, the prisoners have experienced a semblance of freedom and have gotten an opportunity to learn more about the world.
This drive that started from Jumla has been launched in all prisons in Karnali province. After a library was set up in the Jumla Prison, inmates have started developing a reading habit, which has helped bring about positive changes in their outlook.
Siwani Singh Tharu, a novelist, formally inaugurated the bibliotheca on April 6. It was followed by an interaction program where Tharu, some prisoners and a few other speakers shared their experiences. “The more we read, the more we want to read,” said Tharu.
“Studying books not only makes us more informed about various topics but also helps develop positive thinking”
Dal Bahadur Karki, an inmate
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sitaram Rijal said that prisoners were becoming more disciplined and urged the inmates to cultivate a fraternal spirit. Chief District Officer Durga Banjade requested the prisoners to be content with the services provided by the state and assured them that they would not be mistreated in the prison.
The library in the Jumla Prison has a collection of various genres of books, which means the prisoners can read the ones that interest them. The number of books is steadily growing.
Dal Bahadur Karki, an inmate, said, “Studying books not only makes us more informed about various topics but also helps develop positive thinking. We have started finding freedom and a whole new world in the books.”
Binod Shahi, another prisoner, said he used to find it difficult to spend his days. Now, he feels days pass quickly when he is reading a book. “Although we inmates have committed different crimes in the past, this initiative will help us emerge from our criminal mentality and to think positively,” said Shahi.
The government has adopted a strategy to reduce the rates of recidivism by instilling discipline and civility in prisoners. Raj Bahadur Mahat, a local civic leader, argues that the future of the prisoners who develop a reading habit is bright when they complete their prison sentence. He underscored the need to take this campaign to all districts of Nepal.
On April 6, all other jails in Karnali province inaugurated their libraries as well. Libraries were inaugurated in the districts of Surkhet, Dailekh, Salyan, Rukum (Western), Jajarkot, Kalikot and Dolpa. Senior novelist Sanat Regmi, senior novelist and storyteller Nayanraj Pandey and poet Nawaraj Parajuli inaugurated the library in the Surkhet Prison. Similary, novelists Yug Pathak (pictured alongside) and Amar Neupane inaugurated the libraries in Kalikot and Dolpa respectively.
