Kaushambi jail inmates recite Gayatri Mantra, Mahamrityunjay Jaap
PRAYAGRAJ : Every morning, the sprawling campus of Kaushambi Jail resonates with the soulful chanting of Gayatri Mantra and Mahamrityunjaya Jaap by none other than the inmates themselves.
Over 600 of them make separate queues at morning assemblies and while holding their hands in prayers, they repeat the mantras after the priest who visits the jail every morning. Many of them are now trying to learn these mantras and recite it on their own. According to prison authorities, the step has been taken by Kaushambi Jail administration to help inmates reform themselves and motivate them to follow the right path.
There are around 850 prisoners lodged at Kaushambi Jail. Many of them are serving for heinous crimes including murders, loots, rapes and smuggling.
Kaushambi Jail officials said, the regular recitation of Gayatri Mantra and Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is motivating them to reform themselves.
Minister of state for prisons and home guards Dharamveer Prajapati had recently issued instructions to prisons in the state to play ‘Gayatri Mantra’ and ‘Mahamrityunjaya Mantra’ to bring a positive attitude among prisoners.
“The prisoners are reciting Gayatri Mantra and Mahamrityunjaya Mantra each morning during mass prayers where over 660 of them assemble. A priest Pandit Manish Dwivedi recites the mantras while prisoners repeat after him. They are following this routine for over 12 days now and it is making positive impact on the prisoners. Many of them have now learnt the mantras,” said superintendent at Kaushambi Jail Rakesh Kumar Singh.
“The sole motive behind the recitation of mantra is to encourage the prisoners to do good deeds and leave the wrong path. It will help prisoners join the main stream of the society when they are released from jail,” Singh added. Both the mantras are also played at Naini Central Jail to motivate prisoners to follow the right path.