By Mayukh Goswami
Mangaldai : What could be termed as a very significant news for all the district jails of the State , that for the first time in their history a district jail would be adopted by an individual couple . Nearly two hundred inmates of Mangaldai district jail and several prominent persons of the State on Sunday afternoon became the witness of this historical moment when a pair of US based Assamese couple expressed their willingness in public to adopt the district jail. Lohit Narayan Konwar , an US based Environment Scientist of Mangaldai origin while speaking on a function organized on the occasion of the release of an edition of the wall magazine titled “ Karalipi” , announced his desire to adopt the jail with support from his wife Bondini Bordoloi Konwar . “ Moi ghosana korilo je moi aru mor patni , aami duyotai Mangaldai jail khon tolaniya kori lom (I announce that I and my wife both would adopt the Mangaldai jail.”, Konwar said in his speech presented in his mother language Assamese .
He further clarified that adoption means now onwards they will be part of the all the happiness and sadness of the inmates of the jail . “I assure you to do everything for you within our limit.”Konwar included . Addressing on the occasion Upakul Bordoloi , a well known director and a popular actor of Assamese film industry while throwing light on the atmosphere of the jail said that the jail is no longer a jail but it has transformed to an institution of mental development and rehabilitation . He attributed credit to jailer Munindra Sharma and his fellow staff of the jail established in the year 1898 for bringing such a unique transformation . Addressing the inmates noted writer Anjan Sharma narrated how experience in the jail of an inmate can be a source of best seller novels in the country and keeping this in mind he appealed to them to start the practice of writing diary. Kartik Kalita , the in charge Superintendent of the Jail and Election Officer , Mangaldai , Mukut Hazarika , Secretary , Darrang Zilla Sahitya Sabha , prominent entrepreneur and advocate Mani Kangkan Barooah, exponent Ojapali music Tirth Nath Oja were also amongst the guests present .
The function also witnessed presentation of Byash Ojapali dance by a group of ten inmates led by life convict inmate Arup Jyoti Deka .Earlier Lohit Narayan Konwar ceremonially released the fourth year fifth edition of “Karalipi” edited inmate Arup Jyoti Deka . It is worth mentionable here that the inmates of the jail has shown a rare example of silent literary movement by publishing this hand written wall magazine since August 15 , 2015 followed by printing of its collection in subsequent years from the savings of their due daily wages and voluntary community contribution . Moreover three inmates of the jail namely Arup Jyoti Deka , Dhrubajyoti Hazarika and Ilias Purti secured the list of top ten successful candidates in the last BPP final exam under KKHSOU. Similarly running of a hotel on cooperative basis to boost the internal economy is another feather to be added in the series of success stories of the district jail in recent times resulting visit of many leading personalities including Jahnu Baruah , Hitesh Deka , Dr Hiranya Kr Nath , Jyotirmoy Chakravarty , Ranjan Sharma , Dr Arup Jyoti Choudhury and Birinchi Baruah among others .
