KOZHIKODE: Sumesh K (name changed), 31, hailing from Vadakara taluk, is exacting sweet revenge on Covid. After landing in jail earlier this year after he failed to keep up his end of contract due to the pandemic, the young mason--in an intriguing twist of irony--is now using the skill he acquired from prison to face the unemployment havoc that Covid has wrecked across the globe.
Sumesh, now makes and sells flower pots, which he learned to do at the Koyilandy sub-jail where he was remanded for 80 days under judicial custody. "I was arrested in January this year because I was unable to complete the masonry work of a building within the stipulated time. Though I had already collected the advance amount, I couldn't find sufficient number of masons on time due to the pandemic. Hence, the work got delayed and I ended up in jail," says Sumesh. However, his stint in jail turned to be a blessing in disguise. Sumesh was enrolled under the 'cement pot making' training scheme in jail, a skill that he soon mastered.
"The fact that he was a mason by profession helped Sumesh. He learned the art quickly and started making beautiful pots. It was a surprise for all of us. When Sumesh was in jail, we manufactured quite a few pots and earned a sound income from it, a part of which is remitted to the state government," said Shyju A, Koyilandy sub-jail superintendent, who was promoted and transferred to Manjeri special sub-jail a few days back.
Sumesh made 300 odd flower pots while at Koyilandy jail, and when he was released on bail he had Rs 12,000 in his hand as remuneration. On his way back home, he bought 20 moulds of flower pots from nearby Kollam, deciding to take up the skill as serious profession.
"It was the right decision for me. Now, even as other masons are jobless or have very less work due to Covid, I am surviving on flower pot making," beams Sumesh.
He had so far earned Rs 13,000 by selling pots from home, charging Rs 50-80 per pot. "I started by selling my pots in the neighbourhood. But now I am getting bulk orders. If I have masonry work in the day, I will make pots in the evening. This new skill keeps me afloat," he tells TNIE. He began masonry at the age of 14, after his father's early demise.
"Sumesh doesn't have a criminal past. He successfully made use of the scheme made available by the prison. Such training when taken up with passion can actually help reform prisoners," says Pradeep A C, assistant prison officer, who gives training to prisoners in flower pot making.