Undertrials paint at Kendrapara jail. Telegraph pictures

Kendrapara, Oct. 18: Inmates of the local prison here have found a novel way to beat the stress and monotony of being confined within four walls.

Picking up brushes and paints to unplug their creative talent, undertrials have refurbished the prison walls with colourful paintings.

Motivated by jail authorities, some of them have successfully tried their hand at carving sculptures too.

“This initiative is aimed to bring out reformation among inmates as part of the jail reform programme. The experiment has so far turned out to be a success. Many inmates are showing keen interest in creative arts and paintings,” said Samir Ranjan Sahu, superintendent of Kendrapara jail.

For the inmates who have taken to painting sculpting, this practice has become a medium of expressing their guilt, anguish and desperation.

Take the case of Arakhita Mallick from Adampur village. He was jailed after murdering his spouse, Mamata Mallick, who was the sitting sarpanch of Dashipur gram panchayat.

From the time he was jailed on June 18, he has been remorse-stricken. He had stabbed his wife to death under the influence of alcohol. His two young daughters are now being taken care of by their grandparents.

“Mallick painted the portrait of a young couple with two daughters on the wall. Apparently, it’s an expression of his atonement and repentance for his misdeed. He did not know anything about drawing and painting. But slowly he is picking up the skill. He has the traits of becoming a good artist,” said Sahu.

Mohan Kumar Mandal, another inmate, has taken to creating sculptures.

“Initially, I did this to kill time. I am now deriving immense pleasure from it. Ajit Das, a fellow prisoner taught me the skill. After Ajit was released from jail, I followed his instructions and shaped sculptures from plaster of Paris,” said Mandal.

Paintings and sculptures made by prisoners hold a pride of place at the visitors’ room. Outsiders, who pay occasional visits here, appreciate the inmates’ creative attributes. Some of them are generous enough to donate materials such as brushes, paints, colours and materials to make sculptures.

“We have no funds earmarked to purchase such materials. But people impressed with our mission are helping us. The jail staff is also contributing towards procurement of materials,” Sahu said.

“Creativity is an urge that needs opportunity or circumstance to nurture. I have seen that some of the inmates possess inherent creativity and dexterity. They have the potential, which needs to be honed and harnessed,” said art lover Ajay Das.