JOIN USColours and creations from Tihar
This one exhibition was different for sure! After all, these creations are not by any established artistes or craftsmen – these are the creations by none other than the inmates of Tihar Jail.
A week-long exhibition of paintings and lifestyle products by inmates of Delhi jail which was inaugurated on August 24 concluded on Friday at the Open Palm Court Gallery of the India Habitat Centre. And the main highlights of the exhibition were the paintings and woodcraft made by the inmates.
The exhibition ‘Yatharth’, presented the creative side of the inmates and the products on display included not just confectionary but also jewellery and bags made of jute, puppets, aroma sticks, fabrics, blankets, bed sheets, wooden items, flower pots, wooden sculptures, intricately carved miniatures of monuments etc.
There are hundreds of convicts who are employed in different work areas and they earn daily wages depending on the nature of their work. Skilled workers get Rs 100, semi-skilled are paid Rs 85 while unskilled get Rs 75. Twenty-five per cent of this amount goes to victims in order to rehabilitate them.
The last day of the exhibition saw a huge gathering at the venue and many were seen ordering for handicrafts and fabrics. One of the highlights of the exhibition was a replica of the Mona Lisa by one of the inmates! Many were impressed with the quality and accuracy of the copy of the world’s most famous work of art.
It wasn’t just paintings that impressed. Black and white photographs of the jail where women inmates are held also captured one’s attention. The photographer has shot taken pictures of jail officials and even convicts, highlighting their lighter side inside the closed walls. A very special exhibition indeed!