Painting, cake cutting programmes for jailed women

After a painting session in the open, women inmates of a correctional home near here would take part in a cake cutting ceremony in this festive season in an effort to bring them back to mainstream society.
Dumdum Central Correctional Home authorities, in collaboration with an NGO, have taken these steps to make these inmates feel wanted and be a part of mainstream society.
"We always extend support to such initiatives. Such steps will enable the inmates to return to mainstream society and not feel ostracised," DG & IG of Correctional Services Arun Kumar Gupta said.
Chaitali Das, Managing Trustee of Rakshak Foundation, the NGO involved in the project to empower women inmates, said the inmates would participate in a cake cutting ceremony in the upcoming Christmas-New Year season.

"The cake cutting ceremony will be held in the presence of jail officials. The date will be finalised soon," she said.
The NGO had arranged another programme on Sunday last when four inmates painted sitting on a stage erected beside a key road in the central part of the city during the Tata Steel Kolkata 25 Marathon.

The inmates, guarded by police women, painted bright vibrant images of tree, birds soaring up in sky, as well as faces of home-bound women in black and white.
Eminent painter Wasim Kapoor, who supervised the live painting session, said "The inmates showed skill in painting. This should be nurtured by the correctional home authorities in an organised manner in future."

The project had especially been structured to help women inmates who are also mothers of little children, Das said.