SHIVAMOGGA: “Banniranna, bannirakka, baro tamma, baro akka, kasa velevari gadi bandaite, nimma mane munde nintaite…..” (Brothers, sisters, please come forward to dispose of the waste collected in your houses to the waste collecting vehicle that has come in front of your house). This song has been making rounds in Shivamogga every morning since June 11. The inmates of Shivamogga Central Prison have become the new voice behind the city’s waste collecting truck jingles. The waste collection trucks got a musical upgrade with special songs composed and sung entirely by the inmates of central jail.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Shivamogga Central Prison has allowed the inmates to compose and sing jingles for the waste management drive. One of the inmates, Chandra Hemmadi, a Kundapura native, composed six songs and these were sung by him and five others. It was Chief Jail Superintendent P Ranganath who identified and encouraged their talent.
Last month, Bhadravthi Akashavani broadcast ‘Jailu Hakkigala Gaanasudhe’, a music programme by the jail inmates on Sundays from 4 pm to 5 pm. Each week the programme included renditions of folk songs, bhava geete, and patriotic songs except movie songs.
“The initiative gave us a platform to showcase our talent for writing and singing. These songs depict the importance of cleanliness and waste separation among the public. The teachers at prison, Gopalakrishna and Leela, guided us throughout the Akashavani programme and helped to record songs for waste collecting vehicles jingles,” Hemmadi said.
Hemmadi’s songs deal with educating the public about the importance of waste collection, segregation of wet and dry waste management, recycling the waste and preparing compost at houses and producing biogas from the waste. The songs emphasise the importance of keeping the city clean.
A song by inmate Dadapeer stands out. It begins like this, “Swachateye seveyu enda Gandhi tatana, Swachateye madari swachh bharat abhiyana…..” The song says the citizens should not forget even in their dreams that disposing of waste unscientifically is an offence. It asks the citizens to contribute in making the city free from all kinds of pollution and to make Shivamogga, the gateway of Malnad, the cleanest district in the state.
Ranganath said the inmates have now found a new identity with their talent and skills which were once defined by crimes. “It is an effort to support these inmates with their talent and emotions. Around 20 inmates were interested in singing but they never went to any music classes.
Only one inmate has learnt music and the rest of them practised, emulating him. These activities will keep them busy, occupied and through this they will learn something new,” he said.
Another inmate Dadapeer, a native of Davanagere, says the Shivamogga prison regularly organises creative co-curricular activities such as ‘Jailu Hakkigala Gaanasudhe’ to keep the prisoners engaged. “Earlier the public had a notion that prison is a place for murderers, thieves, criminals and others. Now it is more a ‘correctional institute’ with the introduction of these initiatives. As the saying goes, cleanliness is next to godliness, even we are aware of the importance of cleanliness. I consider myself lucky to have sung these songs,” he added.