Rama Adhikari, TGT
11 June
The National Library Campaign which has announced winners in the writing contest held among prison inmates of Lumbini province. According to its coordinator Hari Khanal, Mr. Shaligram Reule from the prison office Dang, Tulsipur has bagged the first position, while Indra Pun from the prison office Baglung and Nabin Chhettri, from the prison office Dang, Tulsipur have been placed second and third respectively.
According to Mr. Khanal, as many as 70 free writings were collected from 30 prisoners, residing over 13 jails. Among them, 8 writings followed the contest protocols and were eligible for the entrance. All the winners shall be provided with books and certificates from the campaign.
Judges, Mrs. Sagun Shah, and Mr. Mahesh Paudyal evaluated those 8 entries. Paudyal is an author, translator and university teacher while Saguna Shah is an educator by profession.
Mr. Mahesh Paudyal reflects his feelings while judging the contest, as of the following: “Reading in prison is as tough as encouraging our brothers and sisters with arduous life in prison into reading culture. The National Library Campaign, initiated and organized by Mr. Hari Khanal, along with other volunteers, has promoted reading and writing culture amidst many dearest ones by establishing libraries in prisons all over the country. This group of youths made commendable steps towards that one aspect which the nation never paid heed to. We have known that lock-up life results in magnum opus for many. Almost all diaries, memoirs, and novels of B.P. Koirala were the outcome of his days in jail. Foundation of every writings of Jawaharlal Nehru lies behind the bars. Two memoirs of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the former President of Bangladesh, are based on life in prison. My empathetic side felt a turmoil, while I got to read creative works of prisoners as one of the judges of the contest. Many have expressed resentment towards their misfortune, and rage towards the slow paced judiciary of the country. The records written in the remembrance of the family members held a tragic side. Few of our friends have raised personal issues above and penned on national problems, human duties, and so on. It is an effort to broaden one’s creativity when the writer shifts from stereotypical and personal sentiments towards various topics of the society. Few creations on their language structure/style and presentation were even comparable to popular authors of the country. I have come to believe that, given the persistent practice of reading and writing, our friends in the prisons will soon discover their own form of effective meditation and therapy, finding a cumulative purpose in life. I extend my heartiest congratulations to all the winners and best wishes to all the participants for future endeavors.”
Reflecting on the experience, Mrs. Shah says, “It is not an easy matter to collectively evaluate and compare works of different genres. Comparatively, I found self-reflective writings to be more heart-touching. Having to stay confined in our homes during the lockdown has been quite stifling. How tormented must the cell inmates feel being confined in the space every single day battling with the unforeseen circumstances that led them into jails. Not only that, how exhausting it must be to struggle with their own thoughts, the mental turmoil and the despair of being helpless? Though little, I got the chance to comprehend the matter closely. Much thanks to this team for providing a platform for many to express their painful sentiments. Rest of the poems seemed like they could be written by anyone.”