Women face up to task of making good masks
WOMEN prisoners of different age groups at a Jaipur jail are contributing to the battle against Covid-19 by making thousands of face masks, either by using sewing machines or by using needle and thread.
They say they want to change society’s perception about them, as they don’t want to be recognised just as criminals but as warriors in this war against the unseen enemy, jail officials said.
In Jaipur, women prisoners made around 70 000 masks, said to be of the highest quality. As these women are experts in stitching, the masks made by them are earning praise from different departments, said Monica Agarwal, SP, Jaipur Mahila Jail.
As the news of these women prisoners’ work spread, other jails have started following suit, Agarwal said.
The masks are sent to “Ashayen”, the jail shop, from where they are bought by organisations including many nongovernmental organisations (NGOS).
“We get cloth from the power loom of the Central Jail. We purchase materials from them and have the best hands to stitch the masks. We can say with pride that our quality is the best,” Agarwal said.
“A single mask costs Rs8 (R1.90) and this money is being sent to our accounts department,” she said.
She said the women prisoners have helped the department earn good credentials, a good name and fame. “There is huge demand for these masks among many government institutes,” she said.
Agarwal said the women prisoners were disappointed for being branded just as “criminals” and hence they were more than happy to serve in this noble task of making face masks.
She said the prisoners felt they had finally got an opportunity to shrug off their criminal tag and serve society in a meaningful way.
“We have got a chance to change people’s mindsets. We want to wash away our sins and so we are making masks,” Agarwal quoted the prisoners as saying.
Besides Jaipur, prisoners at the Udaipur Mahila Jail have also made around 4 000 masks, said Udaipur’s deputy jailor, Beena Meena.
According to her, “There are around 42 women in the Mahila Bandi Sudhar Grah, who have been working throughout the day to get the masks ready so that they can help people in their fight against Covid-19. Sometimes, they work till midnight to finish preparing their quota of face masks.
“Many of these inmates are old and don’t have very good eyesight. Yet, they are pitching in to do their bit in these testing times.”