What’s cooking? Tale of redemption
MADHYA PRADESH :Life sentence for murder can easily be the end of the road for most persons. What remains of life after so many years (minimum of 14 years) in jail? And what about the stigma they have to carry for the rest of their lives? But thanks to an initiative of a central jail superintendent in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district and support of the state government, there is light at the end of the tunnel for such prisoners.
Four men serving life sentence at Narsinghpur Central Jail have found a new mission in life. They are running the Kanha Jail Cafe, which has become quite a hit. Meant for relatives of prisoners who visit the jail when it started in November 2020, this cafe situated just outside the jail premises has become popular among commoners as well, serving juice, snacks and sweets. Ranjeet, Dilip, Ravi and Mannu — all convicted of murder — are the backbone of the cafe, cooking, serving and looking after customers.
“We started Kanha Jail Cafe and Kanha Jail Product Emporium with a capital of Rs 25,000 collected from the jail staff under the umbrella of Jail Karamchari Kalyan Samiti and `8 lakh given by Rajya Sabha member Kailash Soni. The cafe and the emporium are doing well after the two Covid-19 lockdowns. The cafe is a big hit among a lot of people, not only the jail visitors,” said Narsinghpur Central Jail superintendent Shephali Tiwari. Kanha is the brand name of products and services offered to the outside world by jails in Madhya Pradesh.
In 2019, authorities had roped in the services of sweet-makers for jail requirements. Soon, around 15-20 inmates started taking interest and learnt the cooking practices from the sweet-makers. Ranjeet (who worked at a roadside dhaba before being jailed), Mannu (who ran a salon), Ravi (daily wage labourer) and Dilip (farmer) decided this is what they would do after being released from jail. Their terms will get over in three to five years.
“Within weeks, these four inmates were not just preparing tea and snacks like samosa, kachori, aloo vada and poha, but also items like matar paneer and curries. They also started making sweets like rasgulla and balushahee,” said deputy jailor Santosh Hariyal.
The lockdown was a dampener when the cafe was just about becoming popular, but it also came as a blessing in disguise for the four inmates. They were among those released on parole by the government to prevent crowding and any possible Covid-19 outbreak in the jail. Not only did they get to spend time with their loved ones after years, but they also had the time to think about the future. Aware that they may be denied their share of agricultural land and ancestral property by their relatives, they decided that cooking will be their way of the hardship. All four are back in jail and running the cafe with renewed vigour.
Known as MP’s Sugar Bowl, Narsinghpur accounts for nearly 65% of the state’s sugarcane produce. Recently, the jail administration started Kanha Juice Centre and Kanha Chaupati on the roadside just outside Kanha Jail Cafe. Running the Juice Centre and Chaupati are the four inmates under the watchful eyes of jail guards. “They don’t wear the all-white uniform while on duty for eight hours at the food and juice corners, but wear red-black dresses to resemble professional chefs. They sold 30-40 glasses of sugarcane juice on the first day, but the daily figure has risen to 250-300 glasses. School and college goers are the majority of customers,” Tiwari said. They have received tips on how to run such a place from jail guard Atul Dube, whose family owns a restaurant in Jabalpur.
According to the jail superintendent, work is underway to rope in professional bakers to teach the inmates how to make cakes, pastries, patties, burgers, pizzas, rolls and momos. If things go to plan, this will start in May and a bakery will be up and running soon after that.
If the state jail directorate permits, the Narsinghpur Central Jail administration is also ready to start a catering service, which can tie up with prominent food delivery apps/providers to serve customers in Narsinghpur town. But irrespective of whether that plan comes off or not, these murder convicts have found a new goal. Whenever they step out of jail, life will not be an aimless journey amid uncertainty. They have known and learnt what they will do for redemption.
THE JAIL WITH A VISION
The inmates run the Kanha Jail Cafe and Juice Centre. They cook, serve and look after the customers, under the watchful eyes of the jail guards. Both these outlets are doing well, according to jail officials. They are popular among jail visitors as well as common people