“Of course, we will make it out of here one day. But for now, we shouldn’t lose hope.”
Akshay (name changed on request), a convict at a Ghaziabad prison, could often be heard boosting the morale of his fellow inmates. Most of them had given up, presuming they would be confined to prison for the remainder of their lives. But Akshay would not accept this. “When we get out,” he would coax them, “we need to have something to show for our time spent here. So, let’s get to work.” His fellow inmates would cling to these words of encouragement.
Led by Akshay, the group would head to the designated computer centre within jail quarters, where Word, Excel, and the basics of typing would occupy them for the next few hours. These masterclasses were brought to them by the Delhi-based India Vision Foundation, which, for three decades, has aimed its programmes at rehabilitating and reintegrating incarcerated individuals into society.
Its founder,…