Newsroom

The Art of Living transforms
prisoners' lives

12th of Jun 2013

In the absence of psychological counsellors in jails across the state, 30 inmates sought the help of The Art of Living and took it upon themselves to help their fellow inmates in various prisons across the state.

"These 30 inmates received leadership training and have been instrumental in transforming the lives of over 2,500 inmates across seven prisons in Karnataka", said Sri Nagaraj, project director,Prisons Programmes for Karnataka.

By conducting trauma and stress relief programmes, 30 prisoners bring a ray of hope to other inmates with the guidance of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder, The Art of Living. The programme focuses on transformation and personality development of prisoners for acceptance in society.

S Ravi, deputy inspector of general, said, "Their transformation is comprehensive. We've seen a lot of difference in the general well-being of prisoners through these programmes. They were habitual offenders but once they were transformed, they became more productive and their personality changed. They were also given skill training and they can be absorbed in the society easily. The training, which empowered them as Yuvacharas (youth volunteers), set off a chain reaction wherein they trained others."

Mohan Kumar, an inmate, said, "After the programme, I felt the pent-up stress of 12 years disappear. Yoga and meditation brought immense will power in me. My outlook towards life changed and mind became focused. I was given the responsibility of managing meals for all 4,000 inmates in the jail. Training other inmates makes me happy and satisfied when I see the change in them."

Courtesy:The Times of India