From darkness to light

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For someone who is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, sharing the stage with a Minister might not be in his wildest dreams. But Velayudhan, an inmate of the Central Prison at Poojapura, had this rare honour on Friday, when he was called on to the stage decorated by the presence of Minister for Transport and Thiruvananthapuram MLA V S Sivakumar. And the quality that made him eligible for the honour - his habit of reading. Velayudhan has read over 700 books in the library of the Central Prison, a record among the inmates of the prison. He was called on to the stage by  Central Prison Welfare Officer K J Varghese during the oath-taking ceremony of the prison inmates in connection with the ongoing Reading Week observance and P N Panicker commemoration in the Central Prison.  The Welfare Officer, in his speech, said that what made Velayudhan special was that he had never received any formal education. He had learned to read and write only after reaching Poojappura Central Prison, after being transferred from the Kannur Central Prison about four years ago. Minister Sivakumar, inaugurating the ceremony, said that a prison is no more a dark, confined space where a criminal is kept. Rather, it has become a place where people, who have erred knowingly or unknowingly in life, can become better human beings. The scope of mental reformation is higher through the habit of reading. Hence, it is essential for the prisons to have a library with a good collection of books. Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Alexander Jacob said that presently there are over 11,000 books available in the library of the Central Prison. There are also about 124 inmates in the prison, who are studying for their bachelor’s degree under Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), who are finding the library very useful. The ADGP then administered the oath to the inmates of the prison to reform themselves and bring about changes in the society through the habit of reading. Palode Ravi MLA, general secretary of the P N Panicker Foundation N Balagopal, Central Prison Superintendent B Pradeep and Chief Welfare Officer of Central Prison K A Kumaran also were present.