No bars Held

Its one more report, published by Indian Express, long back. Soon AVITOKO will bring its fresh activities for jail inmates and other 'special' people of our society. By the time, go through it and opine. Remember, your opinions value for the their betterment and creativity.   

No bars Held By Indian Express 

Monday August 7, 04:49 AM

Through her theatre workshops, Vibha Rani gets jail inmates to put on a new act. I have been in jail for over three years now, but the past two days were the happiest ever. I always wanted to do theatre and Avitoko gave me that opportunity. Now I am planning to pursue it as a career, once I am out," says Ramnath Helkar (name changed), an inmate of Arthur Road jail, in a letter.

Forty-five-year-old Vibha Rani, the founder of Avitoko, to whom it is addressed, is often complimented with such words. For the past five years, she has been organising theatre workshops for the benefit of jail inmates.

"Two to three years into their stay inside, the inmates' confidence is often shattered. Sometimes causing them to go back their old ways. Through these workshops, I feel I can make a difference to their future," says Rani.

A Hindi and Maithani writer by profession, Rani decided to start Avitoko-Akshar Vishwa Ka Tosh (contentment) Aivam Kosh (treasure)-five years ago. Through this, she now conducts workshops twice a month for inmates at jails in Byculla, Arthur Road, Thane and Kalyan.Using theatre, poetry and art, awareness messages on child marriage, AIDS, sati, child abuse and other social issues are also dispensed.

What has made Avitoko welcome to the prisoners is that ''we never ask them what their crime was,'' says Rani, adding, ''We just tell them that they have immense potential. It is surprising how creative and talented these people are.

"At one session, they came up with some very stunning collages. And it was easy to see that most of them reflected their own story through them.''

Rahul More and Ramesh Owale are serving life sentences at Byculla and Thane jails, respectively। Owale recently won a special judges' award at a national level art competition conducted by Avitoko. Whereas, More, who is a good hand at Warli, has now been given an opportunity to teach his art to other inmates.
साभार - इंडियन एक्सप्रेस

The Poet In His Private Prison.

"AVITOKO" HAD ORGANISED A "KAVI SAMMELAN" IN KALYAN JAIL IN 2005. HARSH KABRA HAD FEATURED THIS EFFORT FOR 'OUTLOOK'. THE SAME IS HERE FOR YOUR VIEWS.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The Poet In His Private Prison

Lifers penning and reciting verse: that's just one way solutions to special needs can be truly creative

HARSH KABRA

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?229161

Mumbai's Kalyan jail is an unlikely venue for a kavi sammelan. Even unlikelier is the sight of Mumbai's noted poets like Akshay Jain and Yagya Sharma sharing the stage with poets serving life sentences. At the sammelan, eight prisoners, including five women, pour their hearts out in verse. Ramesh Bhoir and Praveen Bharucha rue the few moments that wrecked their entire lives. And Janaki Iyer, who writes in English, longs to change the unfair ways of the world. 

"Nobody likes sermons these days," says Vibha. So, theatre as a mode of expression enables kids to overcome shyness and women to get rid of "unnecessary guilt".

Their themes range from suppression and separation to introspection and reformation.

Life behind bars hasn't restrained their creative streak. Such creativity, according to Akshar Vishwa Ka Tosh Aivam Kosh or Avitoko, the four-year-old organisation that conceived the sammelan, provides a much-needed support system to individuals as well as society. After gifting these prison poets the satisfaction of reciting their verse in the presence of veterans, Avitoko plans to publish their work, an idea jail authorities have welcomed. Avitoko believes in expression as a cathartic booster and has successfully used art, theatre and literature with mainstream and special children (like orphans or the mentally challenged), marginalised people, women, youth, even corporates to help them understand themselves, identify their strength, kill inhibitions and become confident. "As media of change, they can help develop positivism and banish negativism," says Vibha Rani, Avitoko founder-secretary and a Hindi and Maithili playwright-author. "They aid self-actualisation and create a person within a person."

As Avitoko's single-handed driving force, 45-year-old Vibha has turned activities like painting and collage-making into valuable modes of expression for children and grown-ups alike. Theatre, on the other hand, helps them hone their speaking skills, put forth their ideas and deal with issues bothering them. Children have overcome problems like shyness and stammering to excel in extra-curricular activities. The youth have chosen careers that their innate talents are best suited to. Women have enhanced their personality by getting rid of "unnecessary guilt" they often cage up within. "Nobody likes sermons nowadays," says Vibha. "Our participatory approach opens them up." That's why Avitoko only facilitates while participants manage everything from script and dialogue to props and action. The organisation encourages talent, be it through annual playwriting competitions or exhibitions of participants' works. Yet, many can't readily appreciate Avitoko's work, leaving it dependent for funds and help from a handful of like-minded people.

Avitoko decided to work with prisoners because social and legal barriers make it difficult to bring inmates into the mainstream. There are so many talents behind those bars. Take the case of Ramesh Owale and Rahul More, both in their thirties, serving life sentences in the Thane and Byculla jails for over a decade. Owale recently won a special award at a national painting competition. "His firm lines, befitting an artist, astonished the judges," recalls Vibha. More is a gifted Warli painter, he has taught the art to other inmates and wants to take it to prisoners elsewhere. With Avitoko's encouragement, he is also writing about himself.

Inmates of the Thane, Byculla and Arthur Road jails have also staged plays. "They innovate brilliantly," says Vibha. "Once, they made a policeman's batons out of paper and created sounds to make them seem real." Avitoko plans to take its activities, ranging from health camps to art workshops, to jails outside Mumbai. Greeting cards are also a regular feature but sadly, there aren't many takers yet for prison art, says Vibha. She's determined to do her bit to gain these people acceptance. ###