Calcutta, Nov.3 :    Calcutta, Nov.3:  A daku to a rajyogi. The transformation is incredible but true. Pancham Singh, the dreaded dacoit of the Chambals during the 60s and 70s, is now on a peace mission, visiting jails in different states, trying to reform inmates. The dacoit, wanted in more than 150 murder and over 250 robbery cases, is in town to spread the message of non-violence. Pancham's formative years were peaceful enough. Born into a farmer's family in a Madhya Pradesh village, he studied till Class IV and was married off at the age of seven. 'I used to lead a gang of 500 dacoits. Before embarking on a raid, I chanted the gayatri mantra 2,000 times and invoked Goddess Durga. One day in 1970, when the goddess didn't appear before us in spite of hours of puja, I went deep into the forest to pray alone. But this didn't help either.' In a fit of rage, Pancham smashed the idol into pieces. 'I was totally frustrated, until a man in white dhoti appeared before me and advised me not to be impatient,' recalled Pancham. The man told him: 'Child, have patience, your wish will be granted. Some devi will come to show you the way.' On April 14, 1972, Pancham surrendered in front of Indira Gandhi and Jai Prakash Narayan. He was sentenced to death after trial, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. The dreaded dacoit was sent to Mungavali jail, where he met members of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. Pancham said: 'One day at an exhibition conducted by the sisters of the organisation, I saw the same man in white dhoti, who had told me to be patient. I asked the sisters who he was and they said he was Prajapita Brahma. The sisters worked hard to try and reform dacoits by teaching them rajyoga. Brahma Kumari Bimalaben showed me the way of life with the blessings of Parampita Paramatma through his medium, Prajapita Brahma'. Pancham continued his rajyoga classes inside jail. Observing the spiritual change and his behavioural transformation, the jail authorities released him in 1980. He received 6.5 bighas of land, on which he started a nursery. 'There are about 150 jails in our country and I have already visited some. I plan to visit the jails in West Bengal and preach the message of peace to the inmates with a view to transforming their minds.'