Lodged in Alipore Central Correctional Home, Kolkata, Rashid Khan had never taken art seriously before he participated in an art workshop.
The sexagenarian, who is serving a life sentence for masterminding the bomb blast in central Kolkata’s Bowbazar area in 1993, now considers art as a way to connect with the outside world.
Artworks of ‘inmate-artists’ from five correctional homes across India, including Khan’s, is being showcased in a six-day art exhibition in the city and was inaugurated on Wednesday.
The exhibition will be open for visitors till November 17. Many inmates, including Khan, were present at the inaugural ceremony.
Tried under the TADA Act, Khan was considered to be the area’s gambling don and had considerable influence over a political party. The blast had killed 69 persons and wounded 40.
Much like the accidental blast on October 2 at Khagragarh in the Bardhaman district, the Bowbazar blast was triggered when a huge stock of explosives, including RDX, in Khan’s home in Bowbazar went off on March 16, 1993.
He had been stocking the explosives in anticipation of communal violence in the city following the Babri Masjid demolition.
“I have been languishing in the home for the past 22 years. Once I am out, I aspire to open an art school for orphans and little children,” he told The Hindu.
Seeking to rehabilitate inmates, especially after they finish their term, artist-sculptor Chitta Dey said: “Inmates’ artistic skills should be nurtured as they don’t find time and resources to continue with their passion. Exhibitions are important as they helps inmates integrate into the mainstream.”
Several such workshops have been conducted helping inmates interact with mainstream artists.
