UP jail inmates go creative with diyas, sweets ahead of Diwali

Lucknow: Bars were loosened across jails in Uttar Pradesh weeks ahead of Diwali when several prisoners took time off their otherwise drab life and put their skills to use making ‘diyas’ and other decorative items to be sold to the general public. At Fatehgarh district jail (Farrukhabad), while male inmates scooped accolades for their bakery items, 10 women inmates had ‘diyas’ and other designer merchandise made by them being bought for jail decoration.

“Deepavali is one of the major festivals of the country, and the inmates of the Fatehgarh district jail are excited about it. The women inmates are engaged in making ‘diyas’ and candles, which are being sold in the market, and also being used in the jail premises,” Superintendent of Fatehgarh district jail Bhimsain Mukund told PTI on Tuesday. “We have also opened a retail outlet outside the jail premises to sell these ‘diyas’ and candles,” he added.

The women inmates were helped in their work by prison warden Nagma, who helped them design lamps and candles. Biscuits and sweets made solely by male inmates in the prison bakery were almost sold-off, and drew special praise from the district officers who bought them for their families, the Superintendent said. Mukund said that on an experimental basis, the prisoners also put together a gift hamper containing ‘diyas’, candles, and sweets.

“Its price is much less than the gift hampers available in the market. Its specialty is that the jail-made ‘naan khatai’ is made from pure desi ghee. The sale at the ‘Jail Utpadan Kendra’ (Jail Product Centre) is being supervised by Deputy Jailor Mukesh Gaur. Quality production of bakery products is being done under the guidance of Deputy Jailor Vaibhav Kushwaha,” he said.

The Uttar Pradesh prison department in a statement said inmates at Unnao, Agra, Mathura and Barabanki made ‘diyas’ of cow dung considering their “eco-friendly” nature. In Ghaziabad, earthen and electric diyas, candles and ‘jhaalars’ were made for prison use and gifts. At Aligarh jail, women prisoners did engraving on earthen lamps, while in Gorakhpur, prisoners made terracotta diyas. About 10,000 diyas made by prisoners at the Ayodhya jail will be donated to local temples. At Hardoi district jail, inmates made around 11,000 ‘kulhads’ (earthen cups) and ‘gullaks’ (earthen money boxes), while the prisoners at Rai Bareli jail made diyas and Ganesh-Lakshmi idols out of clay.