Most people look forward to retiring at 60 years of age. But, for Tularam it is a second start to life.
A convict at Tihar Jail, he has finally landed a job after 16 years. He leaves the jail in the morning to board the metro from Tilak Nagar to go to Laxmi Nagar, where he works at a sweetmeat shop. He returns in the evening to serve a life sentence for murder.
Unlike the work Tularam was doing within the jail walls, this offers him some freedom.
Welcome change
One look at him gives away the excitement. He says he hasn’t been this happy in a long time.
Thanks to the job, Tularam is now out of the jail complex for at least 12 hours in a day — a change he has welcomed with open arms. “It does bring a lot of satisfaction and, more importantly, hope. Every aspect, be it travelling to the shop, interacting with customers, checking the inventory for supplies, occasionally catching up with old friends or family members who visit, is something I thought I would never be able to do. It feels really good,” says Tularam.
This change, however, is very recent. It was only last week that he was moved to the open jail despite the transfer being cleared in March.
Getting a job was not easy considering the stigma attached to someone with a criminal record, that too a murder convict.
Friend to the rescue
Ultimately, Anand Sharma, the owner of the sweet shop and Tularam’s friend, stepped in to offer him a job that pays between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 a month.
Tularam plans to use this money to buy gifts for his grandchildren who were born while he was in jail. A firm believer in Yoga, he also wants increase the quantity of milk he drinks.
Money, however, was probably not much of a concern for Tularam, who was the pradhan of his village when he was arrested in 1997. He owned enough ancestral property for his family to be able to sustain itself. Both his children landed good jobs, with one of them having gone to Australia to study.
Case diary
Going back in time, he spoke about how he landed in Tihar Jail. It was in 1997 that he was arrested for a murder with two of his brothers. Till date, after having exhausted all legal options, he claims that he had no role to play in the incident. In fact, he holds his younger brother, Hemu Gurjar, a noted criminal back then, responsible for his fate. Tularam’s elder brother, meanwhile, was set free earlier owing to his wife’s ill health.
Giving it his all
Does Tularam hope for such reprieve? “Not really, but if that happens I will go to one of the temple towns and spend the rest of my life in the service of God,” he says.
For now, his new job is worship.
What is an open jail?The idea of an open jail is based on the model adopted by Rajasthan where an inmate, who has completed a significant part of his/her sentence, is eligible to go out and work, only to return to the prison at the end of the day. Inmates have to fulfil certain conditions based on which they are considered for open or semi-open jails. The Director General (Prisons) sends recommendations in this regard to the State government, which takes a decision What conditions need to be fulfilled? •No kidnapping or dacoity allegations, or proven charges •No involvement in drug dealing or consumption during jail stay •A conviction period of not less than 12 years •No record of indulging in violence during jail stay• A minimum of three paroles or furloughs granted in the past •A prisoner cannot be a foreigner |
