India - Yogra training in Jails;Bihar

PATNA: Hitherto dependent on voluntary services of organisations and individuals for conducting yoga sessions in jails of Bihar, the state home (prisons) department has now entered into an agreement with the Bihar Yoga Vidyalaya, Munger, for organising regular yoga classes in the jails.

According to the terms of agreement, the Vidyalaya, which is the first recognised yoga university of the country, would provide 26 yoga teachers to impart regular training to prisoners. While six of them would be sent to the six Central jails, the remaining twenty would be deputed in select district jails.

Those in Central jails would be stationed there for one year. The district jail trainers would be shifted to other jails after six months.

The agreement, signed for a period of one year, prescribes that the home (prisons) department would make a payment to the university @ Rs 10,000 every teacher per month. The department will also provide accommodation to them.

"Our long term goal is to produce trainers from among the inmates themselves so that the jails do not have to depend on the services of outsiders," IG (prisons) Sandeep Poundrik said.

To be launched from August 25, the yoga training entails physical as well as mental training so that inmates attending it could be reformed at mental level too. "Yoga has the potential of moulding human psyche and the regular classes for inmates will certainly help them lead a better life once they have completed their term in jails," said Swami Shankaranad Saraswati, vice chancellor of Bihar Yoga Vidyalaya.

He said a special orientation programme was recently organised for the trainers to make them aware about the training module which has been specially designed keeping the needs of inmates in mind.

The jail authorities too appear to be aware of the positive influence of yoga on its practitioners. "We intend to motivate the young inmates in particular for attending the classes as they have to lead a longer life after serving the jail term," said Poundrik.

The jail employees, who have to spend their days in the company of convicts and undertrials, too would be motivated for attending the yoga classes.

"There would be no compulsion to attend the classes but given the response we have got so far from the inmates and jail employees, the department is confident that institutionalisation of yoga classes is going to be a successful venture," Poundrik said