Mumbai: 89 Arthur Road Jail inmates appear for Gandhi Peace exam

Eighty-nine inmates of Arthur Road Jail appeared for Gandhi Peace exam organised by the Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal.

Anda cell (egg shaped high-security cell) inmates also appeared for the exam, out of which two topped the test with 79 out of 80 marks, T R K Somaiya of the Mandal said. A jail official also appeared for the exam held yesterday, results of which were out the same day.

"I came to know true value of truth and 'ahimsa'. I realised the mistakes made by me and took a vow not to go astray in life," one of the Anda cell prisoners expressed his view in feedback after the exam.

The inmate had also written a letter to Sarvodaya Mandal last year, expressing his interest in reading Mahatma Gandhi-related books and appear for the exam. The Mandal had also sent him Gandhi's autobiography, Somaiya said.

Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal is organising the Gandhi Peace examination since the last ten years in various jails of Maharashtra.

The result has been inspiring for the organisation as well as inmates and officials of various jails. Its aim is to revoke the sense of regret among jail inmates and to inculcate qualities of Satya and Ahimsa (truth and non-violence) among them to become better citizens after their release.

The examination was conducted under the supervision of Jail Superintendent Bharat Bhosale with active support of Senior Jailer Y B Baviskar and Jail Teacher Ankush Dhengale.

To introduce jail inmates with Gandhian principles, a lecture by once hardcore criminal Laxman Gole, who confessed his crime before a judge after reading Gandhi's autobiography, was organised before the exam.

He had also worked with Sarvodaya Mandal after being released from Nasik Central jail.