COIMBATORE: The long corridors of Salem Central Prison will reverberate with music on New Year's Day.
To make the day memorable, 15 convicts, part of an orchestra troupe, will belt out soothing songs, and play instruments on January 1. Though it is a norm to celebrate most other festivities like Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi Jayanti, the New Year usually passes off with just an exchange of pleasantries among the jail inmates.
But this year will be an exception. “Prisoners were trained in guitar, drums, violin, keyboard, and other instruments to form an orchestra troupe named ‘Sirai Charal Innisai Kuzhu’. As everyone in the troupe was new learners, volunteers were roped in from an NGO to teach prisoners how to play these instruments,” said Salem Central Prison Superintendent (in-charge) G Vinoth.
He was instrumental in reviving the prison orchestra band. “All the instruments required for the troupe were bought even before I took charge in Salem Central Prison. But they were mostly kept unused. So, music experts were roped in to teach instruments on a specific day every week. Besides instruments, some prisoners with innate talent were also trained to render songs by following the rhythm,” the official added.
‘Sirai Charal Innisai Kuzhu’ took wings in July, last year and has staged shows during other festivities as well. After months of improvisation, the members of the troupe will perform for around three hours in the morning to welcome the New Year.
“Music helps prisoners to overcome depression, fight out negativity and break monotony while also giving a soothing relief to the mind. Music reforms them into better individuals and builds confidence. Prisoners also can pursue a music-related career even after leaving the jail,” Vinoth said.
As part of the New Year celebrations, the prisoners will also participate in singing games and ‘pattimandram’ organised by the prison department. Even the ‘Sirai Panbalai’, an in-house radio facility, started for the first time in Tamil Nadu, with inmates turning to Radio Jockeys to air songs on demand and other special programmes on the first day of the year in Salem Central Prison. The prison has around 1,235 prisoners, including convicts, remand prisoners, and undertrials.