New Delhi :- The students of the Department of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) were invited by India Vision Foundation to perform a Nukkad Natak in the female ward of the Faridabad District Prison on January 23, 2024. India Vision Foundation is an organization founded by Dr. Kiran Bedi three decades ago to transform the lives of incarcerated individuals, assisting them in their journey towards successful reintegration into society.

The Nukkad Natak titled, ‘Samvedna ka Safar’ was performed amidst 100 female prison inmates, who experience a double whammy by virtue of their incarceration and gender. Contrary to male prison inmates, they are quite often abandoned by their families with no one even coming to visit them in the prison. The future out of prison is uncertain. The well being of their children, who live outside, continues to be a matter of great concern for them. The reality that majority of the prison inmates are undertrials holds true for them as well. They are treated guilty without a pronouncement from the court.

Grappling with a situation beyond their control, female prison inmates were experiencing anger outbursts that were detrimental to their sense of togetherness besides their own individual well being. It was in this context that Mr. Aagaz Khan, Sr. Executive, L&D, India Vision Foundation and also an alumnus of the department, had asked the Department of Social Work, JMI to curate a play on anger management. Through a process of understanding the context of the female prison inmates and the circumstances that were triggering anger outbursts, a team of eight students (five female and three male) had scripted a play specific to the setting. Ms. Nazia Naaz, Assistant Manager, Inside Prison Program, India Vision Foundation provided critical insights towards this.

The nukkad natak subtly displayed the scenarios within the prison that triggered the emotion of anger while emphasizing on the possible methods through which these situations could be managed without causing harm to self or to others. The play also showcased sensitive responses in cases where the prison inmates were disturbed. Interspersed with self-constructed poetic verses, the play was able to strike a chord with the audience. Ms. Usha Kumari from India Vision Foundation who is coordinating the prison project in Faridabad was a great on ground support to the team.

The performance of the play was followed by an interactive session with the female prison inmates on coping strategies adopted by them while experiencing anger. They wished to seek validation of the current strategies adopted by them. The prison inmates expressed their deep appreciation for the student team that had attempted to understand their lives and connect with them on issues that were critical to them. The female prison inmates also chose to sing songs that were close to their existence and became extremely emotional while doing so.

The team of students comprised Mohd Kashfi Zia, Abru Aslam, Heeba from MSW – IV Semester and Mohd. Kamran, Mohammad Talha, Amisha Jha, Neha Yadav and Taqdeer Hussain from MSW- IISemester. The mentorship from amongst the faculty members was provided by Dr. Sarika Tomar, Dr. Rashmi Jain and Prof. Neelam Sukhramani.

The exposure had helped the students to break their stereotypes regarding prison inmates and prisons. They felt overwhelmed with the response that they received from the audience and experienced satisfaction in being able to curate a play on an issue that concerns each one in society.

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