To mark six years of the arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of┬аpolitical dissidents┬аin the┬аBhima Koregaon case,┬аThe Polis Project┬аis publishing a series of writings by the BK-16, and their families, friends and partners.┬а(Read the introduction to the series┬аhere.) By describing various aspects of the past six years, the series offers a glimpse into the BK-16тАЩs lives inside prison, as well as the struggles of their loved ones outside. Each piece in the series is complemented by Arun FerreiraтАЩs striking and evocative artwork. This poem has been translated to English by Vernon Gonsalves.
Of the six-and-a-half years I spent in prison in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, four-and-a-half years were in the Anda cell. The Anda cell is a prison within a prison. Its stony walls and sight-obscuring forest of iron bars put the mental fortitude, ideological endurance and courage to the test. What happened to political prisoners like me confined to these cells of darkness? Why have prisons been built? For whom, and by whom? Prison is marked by many contradictionsтАФbetween exploitation and theft; prisons and justice; prisons and democracy; prisons and correctional homes. Trying to understand these contradictions and figure out the psychology behind it and resolve them is a struggle in itself. Throughout, we wonder how can one remain in prison and still keep alive that optimism of the words of the poet Saahir Ludhianvi who envisioned a time тАЬwhen the government of the world will be run without jails.тАЭ…
Join us
