look news india
The great festival of folk faith ‘Chhath’ is not limited only to homes and ghats of rivers, but this difficult ritual of four days is now awakening a ray of hope in the lives of those who are stuck in the maze of law and are living behind the bars. This time the scene in the historic Birsa Munda Central Jail (Hotwar Jail) located in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, is very emotional and full of faith. Even though these people are confined within four walls, their devotion towards Lord Surya and loyalty towards Chhathi Maiya has not diminished at all.
Due to the special cooperation and humanitarian approach of the jail administration, this year 18 undertrial and convicted prisoners in Hotwar Jail are observing the fast of Chhath Mahaparva with very strict rules. This sacred and disciplined initiative inside the jail has once again proved that true devotion and the spirit of penance elevates a person above all kinds of restrictions.
A different spiritual and festive atmosphere is being seen in Birsa Munda Central Jail of Ranchi for the last few days. With mutual cooperation, the prisoners lodged inside the jail have constructed an artificial water pond (ghat), which has been decorated in a neat manner. The fasting prisoners had started this four-day festival by taking bath and eating food and today they are preparing ‘Kharna’ Prasad with full devotion.
The jail administration has made special arrangements for these fasting prisoners to provide all the necessary materials for worship like new clothes, soup, daura, fruits, pure ghee, jaggery, wheat and other puja items for making thekua. Jail officials say that such religious events play a very positive role in maintaining mental peace and positive energy while serving the sentence or being under trial.
Among these 18 prisoners observing fast in Hotwar Jail, many are lodged in serious cases, but the time spent between the four walls of the jail has brought about a profound change in their thinking and lifestyle. The fasting prisoners say that by staying inside the jail, they are atoning for their actions and seeking forgiveness from the Sun God for their crimes along with the happiness and peace of their family.
When the jail administration met the family members of a fasting prisoner, they had tears in their eyes. Family members said that despite being away from home, the way the prisoner brother or father is observing the strict fast of Chhath inside the jail, is the biggest proof of their unwavering faith. Fellow prisoners are also engaged whole-heartedly in the service of these fasts, due to which a family-like brotherhood is being seen inside the jail.
The Superintendent of Birsa Munda Central Jail and the jail administration have made special arrangements for these 18 fasting prisoners. Unlike the daily routine of normal prisoners, separate arrangements have been made for these fasts at the time of eating, bathing and worshiping, so that they can follow all the rules of their fast without any hindrance.
The team of doctors of the jail hospital is constantly monitoring the health of the fasting prisoners because this 36-hour waterless fast is very difficult. Amidst tight security arrangements, the temple and pond complex of the jail have been grandly decorated with flowers and electric lights, due to which the entire jail complex is shining like a public holy ghat of any ordinary city.
This Chhath festival being celebrated in Birsa Munda Central Jail is not just a religious ritual, but it gives a huge message towards the mental improvement and rehabilitation of the prisoners. The jail administration believes that such events infuse positive energy within the prisoners and inspire them to leave the path of crime and become a better person. When these prisoners would offer Arghya to the setting and rising sun, their prayers would be not just for their release, but for the beginning of a new and holy life.