Tihar inmates date with ‘Morning Ragas’

Monday morning at Tihar Jail sounded different with the prison authorities introducing ‘Morning Ragas’ in collaboration with Legends of India.

“This new initiative has been brought in to augment the rehabilitation process of the jail inmates ,” said Alok Kumar Verma, Director General of Tihar Jail. (He added that on Monday morning internationally acclaimed flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar performed in the presence of almost 2,000 inmates.

“Pandit Ronu Majumdarbegan his recital with Ahir Bhairav, followed by a Paharidhun and two popular compositions Gadhiji’s Vaishnavi Jan and Tagore’s Ekla Chalo. He was accompanied by Kalpesh Sachala on the flute and Ustad Akram Khan on the tabla,’’ noted a release issued by the Jail authorities.

“The performance had a positive influence on the prison inmates and many not only joined the chorus but also expressed their desire to learn music in prison ,’’ noted Mr. Verma.

He added that this would now be a monthly feature with immediate effect.

Tihar authorities added that this exercise is anticipated to have a “beneficial effect on the inmates since the spiritual and emotional effects of music in human transformation are well known.”

Legends of India, is a registered society, promoting Indian Art Forms for more than a decade. artistes had originally approached the prison authorities with this proposal.