Jailhouse rock

Eight such convicts from several correctional homes in the state have formed a band of folk music called Muktaberi (free chain). The group is now in the Dum Dum central correctional home,where they got their training in music and from where they perform several shows. The money they earn from the performances goes to the prisoners’ welfare department.

The members of the group are Sujit Dolui,Shantanu Bagdi (released after completing his term),Parimesh Tapali,Swapan Barui,Sahadeb Sarkar,Giridhari Kumar,Paritosh Ghosh,Manik Kumar and Swapan Sardar. The band has recently recorded 12 songs with a well-known music company and the music will release before Puja. The band has also sung two songs in the latest release in Tollywood,Mukto Dhara.

Tapan Roy,the music instructor of the group,said: “We developed an idea of doing music therapy on the convicts to try to take them out of the world of crime and such memories. Music has a motivating affect. After we got permission from the state government we selected some convicts from several correctional homes in the state who could sing. Most of them used to sing kirtans in their villages,but later got involved in serious crime.

“Our therapy worked. Now the group,which has its own traditional instruments,performs in live shows. The name Muktaberi means they are free but they are chained too. They sing on stage freely but security personnel are always with them.”

The band has also started writing its own lyrics and composing its own songs. Sujit Dalui,a life convict and a resident of Sriniketan,wrote and composed a song on Santiniketan,the abode of Rabindranath Tagore,which has been recorded in their first album awaiting release.

The group was formed a couple of years ago but they started performing on several platforms last year.