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Jail Radio: Ambala

Apr 14, 2024

Jail Radio: Ambala

Date of Inauguration: 26 February, 2021

Central Jail, Ambala today launched its prison radio addressing a vital communication need of 1100 inmates lodged in this jail. This jail is one of the three central jails of Haryana and also a historical jail of India which witnessed the execution of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1949. The purpose of the prison radio is to promote art, creativity and harmony in the jail.

The radio is inaugurated by Shri Rajeev Arora, IAS, ACS Home & Jails, Shri K. Selvaraj, IPS, Director General of Prisons, Haryana and Shri Lakhbir Singh Brar, Superintendent of Ambala Jail and Dr. Vartika Nanda, Founder, Tinka Tinka Foundation.

यह है अंबाला जेल रेडियो

हरियाणा की जेलों में जेल रेडियो का पहला चरण पूरा

30 दिनों में यह हरियाणा का तीसरा जेल रेडियो है

सेंट्रल जेलअंबाला ने अपने करीब 1100 बंदियों की संचार की जरूरतों को मद्देनज़र रखते हुए आज अपना जेल रेडियो शुरु कर दिया है। यह जेल हरियाणा की तीन केंद्रीय जेलों में से एक है  जिसमें वर्ष 1949 में महात्मा गांधी के हत्यारे नाथूराम गोडसे को फांसी दी गई थी। जेल रेडियो का उद्देश्य जेल में कला, रचनात्मकता और सद्भाव को बढ़ावा देना है। वैसे तो जेल की अपनी दूनिया है लेकिन रेडियो शुरू होने से बाहरी दूनिया के साथ जेल बंदी जुडे रहेंगे। प्रतिदिन निर्धारित कार्यक्रम और समय सारिणी के तहत रेडियो से विषय सामग्री प्रसारित होती रहेगी।

इस जेल रेडियो का उद्घाटन श्री राजीव अरोड़ाएसीएस (आईएएस) गृह और जेल), श्री के. सेल्वराज, हरियाणा जेल महानिदेशक, श्री लखबीर सिंह बरार, अंबाला  जेल के सुपरिंटेंडेंट और डॉ. वर्तिका नन्दा, संस्थापक, तिनका तिनका फांउंडेशन ने किया।

दरअसल 21 बंदियों को हरियाणा की जेलों से रेडियो जॉकी के रूप में चुना गया था जिनमें से 6 अंबाला जेल से हैं। इन बंदियों को तिनका तिनका फाउंडेशन की संस्थापक डॉ. वर्तिका नंदा ने दिसंबर 2020 में एक रेडियो वर्कशाप के जरिए प्रशिक्षित किया था। यह जेल रेडियो वर्तिका नन्दा की ही संकल्पना है। प्रशिक्षण पूरा होने के बाद  राज्य के पहले जेल रेडियो का उद्घाटन 16 जनवरी को पानीपत में हरियाणा के जेल मंत्री श्री रंजीत सिंहएसीएस (आईएएस) गृह और जेल)  श्री राजीव अरोड़ाहरियाणा जेल महानिदेशक श्री के. सेल्वराज, पानीपत जेल के सुपरिंटेंडेंट श्री देवी दयाल वर्तिका नन्दा, संस्थापक, तिनका तिनका द्वारा किया गया। बाद में इसी महीने में फरीदाबाद जेल में भी रेडियो की शुरुआत की गई। 

अंबाला जेल रेडियो पर रोज एक घंटे रेडियो का प्रसारण होगा जो विशेष रूप से डिज़ाइन किए गए स्टूडियो से संचालित होगा। श्री राजीव अरोड़ा के अनुसार, “यह जेल रेडियो निश्चित रूप से बंदियों को बेहतरी की तरफ बढ़ने का मौका देगा और वे अपनी जिंदगी की नई शुरुआत कर सकेंगे।

इस अवसर पर हरियाणा जेल के महानिदेशक श्री के. सेल्वराज ने कहा, “रेडियो के कारण बंदियों के जीवन में बदलाव आसानी से देखा जा सकता है। अंबाला जेल में रेडियो की शुरुआत इस बात का प्रतीक है कि हरियाण में जेल रेडियो का पहला चरण संपन्न हो चुका है और अब हम दूसरे चरण के तहत राज्य की 4 और जेलों में भी रेडियो की शुरुआत करेंगे।श्री सेल्वराज ने जेलों में बंदियों द्वारा की गई प्रगति पर अपनी गहरी संतुष्टि व्यक्त की है।

जेल के अधीक्षक श्री लखबीर सिंह ने कहा, “जेल रेडियो के लिए हम बंदियों के उत्साह को देखकर खुश हैं। इसने जेल के माहौल में शांति बढ़ा दी है। जेल का कमरा खुशियों और रचनात्मकता का स्थान बन गया है और यह आगे भी बना रहेगा।

हरियाणा की जेलों में रेडियो की संकल्पना करने और बंदियों को प्रशिक्षण देने का काम तिनका तिनका की संस्थापक और लेडी श्री राम कॉलेज की पत्रकारिता विभाग की प्रमुख वर्तिका नन्दा ने किया है। इस मौके पर उन्होंने कहा, “मैंने 2019 में ज़िला जेलआगरा में जेल रेडियो शुरु किया तो इससे बंदियो के जीवन में आए बदलाव को महसूस किया। हरियाणा की जेलों में अब तक 21 बंदियों ने रेडियो जॉकी होने की पहचान अर्जित की है और हमें उम्मीद है कि यह कौशल समाज में उनके सुधार और सुदृढीकरण में मदद करेगा। हमने जेल रेडियो के दूसरे चरण की तैयारी तकरीबन पूरी कर ली है।” 

हरियाणा में कुल 19 जेलें हैं और बंदियों की रिफॉर्म प्रक्रिया में मदद के लिए लगभग सभी जेलों में जेल रेडियो शुरू करने की राज्य की योजना है। दिलचस्प बात यह है कि जेलों में साक्षरता के स्तर को सुधारने और जेल रेडियो की ओर बेहतर योगदान देने के लिए बंदियों की मदद को ज़िला जेलपानीपत में हाल ही में एक जेल पुस्तकालय भी खोला गया है। यह जेल पुस्तकालय भी तिनका तिनका फाउंडेशन की एक पहल है।

हरियाणा की जेलेंनेशनल क्राइम रिकॉर्ड ब्यूरो के 2019 के आंकड़ों के मुताबिक हरियाणा देश का दूसरा ऐसा राज्य है जिसमें सबसे अधिक संख्या में सज़ायाफ्ता बंदी हैं। अंडर ट्रायल बन्दियों की जनसंख्या के मामले में भी हरियाणा दूसरे नंबर पर है। हरियाणा में कुल 19 जेलें हैं जिनमें 16 ज़िला जेलें और 3 केंद्रीय जेलें हैं। इस समय हरियाणा की जेलों में क़रीब 20,000 बंदी हैं। फरीदाबाद जेल में फिलहाल 2400 बंदी हैं।







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2021: December 21: Ambala Jail Radio: Women inmates to be RJs soon: Ambala Jail Radio starts the process

Ambala : Prison Radio, launched this year at Central Jail, Ambala will soon welcome a set of 6 women inmates as Radio Jockeys. Started this year in February, this was being run by men. Inspired by the content and the state of happiness emerging from the jail radio, women inmates have expressed their desire to be trained as radio jockeys.  According to Shri Lakbir Singh Brar, Superintendent of Ambala Jail, “ We are seeing the positive impact of prison radio on inmates on a daily basis. While the radio has been dominated by men, it is now time to open this platform for women.” These inmates will be trained by Dr. Vartika Nanda, Founder, Tinka Tinka Foundation. Training is expected to be on  both online and offline mode.

Vartika Nanda is the  head of Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.  Jail Radio in Haryana is conceptualised by her. These jail radios are based on Tinka Model of Prison Reforms.

Brar said that his step is being taken also in the wake of the third wave of coronavirus. According to him, “ Prison Radio was of immense help to inmates to beat stress and depression in the absence of visitations. “

Presently, jail radio is run for three hours, offering a mix of self-created content and also songs and religious music. “Aap Ki Farmaish” is  the most popular program among the inmate population.  A song sung by an inmate, Sheru, was taken to the national media recently. Based on Covid-19, a special Tinka Tinka Podcast was dedicated to him.  It was also appreciated by the Union Health Minister.

Brar informed that Legal Aid Awareness programs are also being run regularly on the Jail Radio with the help of District Legal Services. The program is being run under the guidance of Dr. Rajinder Rai, District Mental Health Officer

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2023: October 21: Tinka Jail Radio receives Laadli Media Award Based on women inmates in Ambala Jail: Conceived & narrated by Dr. Vartika Nanda

Tinka Tinka Prison Radio is honoured with Laadli Media Award in Jaipur, Rajasthan in the Hindi category of Web Podcasts. This award has been given for episode 36 of Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcast titled “Ambala Jail Radio and the women inmates. “ This was broadcast on March 31, 2022.

About the award winning entry: This podcast is based on women inmates lodged in Central Jail, Ambala. This is one of the historical jails in India. Tinka Tinka Foundation started prison radios in the state of Haryana in 2020. As a part of this initiative, in December 2020, 21 inmates were selected for a special training program by Dr. Vartika Nanda, Founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation(TTF). They were mentored to become RJs in the newly established radio stations in the jail premises. More than 300 inmates, including women and transgender inmates, have been trained as RJs in the jails of Haryana. This special episode depicts the journey of women inmates lodged in Central Jail, Ambala and their association with the jail radio. These inmates were a part of the radio skill production training program, included in the broad prison radio training project in Haryana. The award-winning entry is a podcast, conceived and narrated by Vartika Nanda and audio edited by Harsh Vardhan. Vartika Nanda heads the Department of Journalism in Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. Harsh Vardhan is a young journalist, who presently works with a media house.

Watch on YouTube:

Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Laadli Media Award Women inmates in Ambala Jail 2023 Vartika Nanda

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Music in Jail: Ambala Jail Radio: 2020 till now

More than a dozen songs have been released from these jails since the inception of prison radio in 2020. Sheru from Central Jail, Ambala and Kashish from District Jail, Panipat are all set to bring out their musical albums. Sheru and Kashish became stars overnight with their songs reaching the international platforms. Sheru’s song on corona awareness was highly appreciated by the Union Health Minister and this prompted judicial officers visiting and applauding Sheru for his work. The song was released on Tinka’s YouTube channel on 22 May, 2021 and was heard by a wider audience, both inside and outside the jail. 

Press: 

Tinka Jail Radio Podcasts: 

Press Coverage: 

Special Story: 

Union Minister lauds Ambala Jail inmate: Union minister lauds Ambala jail inmate for Covid safety song – Hindustan Times


Website Link: Jail Radio: Ambala – Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms

Apr 13, 2024

Jail Radio: Faridabad

Date of Inauguration: 28 January, 2021

Rajkumar, a convict, tells stories on Tinka jail radio and is trained as a storyteller. Manu, who was already trained as a RJ in 2020, is now the quiz master, along with Rahul. With this Tinka Tinka Jail Radio has introduced two additional segments of storytelling and current affairs. One inmate named Mehtab has done a Ph.D. in Social Science. He will now be a part of the Tinka Prison Research Cell, which was officially launched in 2021.Both Tinka Tinka Podcasts and Tinka Research Cell are exclusive research units established by Dr. Vartika Nanda, Founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation.
 
“We are getting a very encouraging response. There is a clear reduction in the cases of aggression and depression in the jail due to the presence of the jail radio,” said Shri Jai Kishan Chhillar, Superintendent of District Jail, Faridabad. 
 
“The new set of RJs in this jail will certainly bring a fresh breeze to the existing programming,” Dr. Nanda added.
 
History of District Jail, Faridabad
 
District Jail, Faridabad is considered as one of the modern jails in India. It is known for its paintings, pottery and other art and craft works of inmates which are displayed in Surajkund Mela every year.
 
About Jail Radio in Faridabad
 
Prison Radio in District Jail, Faridabad was inaugurated on 28th January, 2021 by Shri K. Selvaraj (IPS), Director General of Prisons, Shri Jai Kishan Chillar, Superintendent and Dr. Vartika Nanda, Founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation. Shri Jai Kishan Chillar was given the Tinka Tinka India Award for the year 2021 by Shri Arvind Kumar, DG, Prisons, Madhya Pradesh for his extraordinary work towards jail reforms. Tinka Tinka India Awards are exclusive awards constituted by Tinka Tinka Foundation that are given annually to jail inmates and prison administrators. These awards were constituted in 2015. 
 
Audition and Training of Inmates
 
Inmates are auditioned, trained and prepared for broadcasts by prison reformer Dr. Vartika Nanda. She is the Head of Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.  She has initiated a movement on prison reforms in India under the banner, Tinka Tinka.  President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, conferred the Stree Shakti Puraskar on her in 2014.
 
Tinka Tinka Foundation recently came into limelight with the release of a special documentary by BRUT. This is an exclusive film on prison radio in India.








Apr 10, 2024

Vartika Nanda: Profile

डॉ. वर्तिका नन्दा भारत की स्थापित जेल सुधारक, मीडिया शिक्षक और लेखिका हैं। वे अपराध और जेल पर नए प्रयोगों के लिए जानी जाती हैं। तिनका तिनका भारतीय जेलों पर वर्तिका की एक अनूठी श्रृंखला। उनकी स्थापित तिनका तिनका फाउंडेशन ने देश की जेलों पर पहले और इकलौते पॉडकास्ट-तिनका तिनका जेल रेडियो की शुरुआत की। जिला जेल, आगरा, हरियाणा और उत्तराखंड की जेलों में रेडियो लाने का श्रेय उन्हीं को जाता है। उन्होंने भारत की जेलों में पत्रकारिता की नींव रखी है। तिनका तिनका बंदियों को सकारात्मक पत्रकारिता के गुर सिखाता है। 2014 में भारत के राष्ट्रपति से स्‍त्री शक्ति पुरस्‍कार से सम्मानित। 2018 में सुप्रीम कोर्ट  की एक बेंच ने जेलों पर उनकी सलाहें शामिल कीं। जेलों का उनका काम दो बार लिम्का बुक ऑफ़ रिकॉर्ड्स में शामिल हुआ। जेलों पर तीन किताबों की लेखिका जो भारतीय जेलों का जीवंत दस्तावेज हैं। तिनका तिनका मध्यप्रदेश भारतीय जेलों पर अब तक की इकलौती कॉफी टेबल बुक है जबकि तिनका तिनका तिहाड़ ने इस साल 10 साल पूरे किए हैं। 


वर्तिका नन्दा जालंधर दूरदर्शन में एशिया की सबसे छोटी एंकर बनीं। वे जी टीवी, एनडीटीवी, IIMC और लोकसभा टीवी से जुड़ी रहीं। वे लोकसभा टीवी की पहली एक्जीक्यूटिव प्रोड्यूसर बनीं। वे भारतीय टेलीविजन की उन गिनी-चुनी महिला पत्रकारों में से हैं जो अपराध पत्रकारिता से जुड़ीं और इस बीट की प्रमुख भी बनीं। ( वे भारतीय टेलीविजन की पहली महिला पत्रकार हैं जो अपराध  बीट की प्रमुख बनीं। )                  


वर्तमान में दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय के लेडी श्रीराम कॉलेज के पत्रकारिता विभाग की प्रमुख।


 

Apr 8, 2024

Jail Radio: Karnal

Jail Radio: Karnal

Date of Inauguration: 29 April, 2021

State of Haryana has 17 districts and 3 central jails. In the year 2021, out of 5880 convicts in Haryana, 1223 were illiterate, 2321 had done class 10th, 1551 had passed 10th but had not completed graduation, 507 were graduates, and 137 had some technical degree/diploma while 141 were post-graduates. As for the undertrials, out of 18, 237 inmates, 3261 were illiterate, 7348 had studied below class 10th, 6057 had passed 10th and above but did not complete graduation.  1105 were graduates, 247 had some technical degree/diploma and only 219 were post-graduates. Among all the States/UTs, Haryana is among one of the several states which does not have separate staff for correctional work. It also does not have a women’s jail, an open jail and a borstal school: Source: NCRB, 2021

Tinka Tinka Foundation introduced prison radios in jails of Haryana. This was done in four phases. District Jail, Karnal is one of them, chosen in the second phase.

Model: Tinka Model of Prison Radio 

Jails in Phase II: District jails of Rohtak, Karnal, Gurugram and Central Jail, Hisar 1

Gratitude: Shri Ranjit Singh, Jail Minister, Haryana, Shri Rajeev Arora, IAS, ACS, Home & Jail Department, Shri K. Selvaraj, IPS, Director General of Prisons, Haryana, Shri Amit Bhadu, Superintendent, District Jail, Karnal and Ms. Shailakshi Bhardwaj, Deputy Superintendent, District Jail, Karnal.

Research in Karnal Jail: Tinka Prison Radio helped 74% jail inmates to deal with mental issues in District Jail, Karnal – Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms

Karnal Video Gallery: Gallery – Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms 

Blog: Dr. Vartika Nanda: Media Educator & Prison Reformer: Tinka Jail Radio 

Episode 11 : Holi and Karnal Jail Radio:  

Episode 23 : Broadcasting Day: Theme Song: Karnal Jail: 

Episode 34 : One year of Haryana Jail Radio: 


Citations & References: Tinka Jail Radio in District Jail, Karnal (Haryana) 

1.Tinka Tinka Jail Radio। Ep11|Holi and Karnal Jail Radio। Tinka Tinka Foundation ।Vartika Nanda|2021: March 29th: https://youtu.be/sFcV1yw7yPA?si=DedKYWMbfs-aIJZx

2.Vartika Nanda: Tinka Tinka Jail Radio: Ep 23: Broadcasting Day: Theme Song: Karnal Jail|2021: July 23rd : https://youtu.be/oE187L3eJqA?si=xHwzDGmVOdZy5F4u 

3.Tinka Tinka Jail Radio। Ep 34 ।One year of Haryana Jail Radio। तिनका जेल। Tinka Tinka Foundation|Vartika Nanda|2022: January  16th : https://youtu.be/7sk1GewUFks?si=auTyjtMt8_RlcYaV 

4.Tinka Tinka Foundation। Prison Heritage। Tinka Prison Bytes। Sonia Chowdhary।Tinka Radio ।Year 2021|2024: March 13th: https://youtube.com/shorts/1DtfUMNqylE?si=qGCJqJU6pMUQNzR3 

Website LinkJail Radio: Karnal – Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms

Jail Radio: Kurukshetra

Jail Radio: Kurukshetra

10 April, 2022

Tinka Jail Radio: Navratri prayers in Kurukshetra Jail

15 inmates gathered in a room on the ninth day of Navratri to offer prayers on Ram Navami through hymns and a traditional ‘Mata ki Chowki’. The divine echo enchanted the rest of the inmates too who were prompted to request that the devotional rhythm be played repeatedly. It is all to Tinka Jail Radio’s credit that a new flame of righteousness and devotion has sparked among the inmates encouraging them to become better human beings. 


Kurukshetra Jail Radio

The mission to bring jail radio to Haryana’s jails commenced in the year 2020. The first jail radio was established in Panipat in 2021. For the last few months, the work of bringing jail radio to Kurukshetra Jail has also begun for which 10 men and 2 women inmates have been selected as radio jockeys. 

Kurukshetra’s Jail Radio is going to start its operations very soon. Considering the historicity of Kurukshetra, programmes are also being prepared on the discourses related to Gita and Mahabharata.


Tinka Tinka Jail Radio: Episode : 37





19th December, 2021

Soon a new voice to join: Welcome to Kurukshetra Jail radio

Inmates lodged in District Jail, Kurukshetra will soon attain a new identity as Radio Jockeys for the soon-to-be-launched prison radio. The process of selection for the team has begun, making Haryana one of the few states in India with prison radio in more than half of their jails. Inmates with the skill to communicate and sing are being chosen separately for creating programmes and also music for the jail radio. The auditions and training will be conducted by Dr. Vartika Nanda, prison reformer and the Founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation, which is working for the upliftment of inmates. Prison Radio in Haryana is the brainchild of Vartika Nanda.

History of Kurukshetra Jail

District Jail, Kurukshetra is built on a land area of 15 acres. This jail was inaugurated by the Haryana Jail Minister on 5th January,1995. Currently, this jail has nearly 670 inmates, out of which 32 are women.


Support and encouragement by Jail Officers

According to Shri Mohammad Akil, Director General of Prisons, Haryana, “ Prison radio has yielded positive results in all the jails of Haryana wherever we have launched it. The objective is to give inmates a constructive engagement and enhance their skills, also helping the reformation process. “Shri S N Jagat, Superintendent of the Jail has confirmed that the audition of inmates will start soon and subsequently the training program so that inmates get a new tool of communication in the coming year.


Prison Radio has come in phases

There are a total of 19 jails in Haryana, out of which radio has already been launched in District jails Faridabad and Panipat and also in Central jail Ambala under Phase I of the project. In the second phases, prison radio has started in District Jails Karnal , Rohtak ,  Gurugram and Central Jail (I) Hisar. District Jail Kurukshetra was selected in phase III along with District Jails Sirsa, Sonipat, Jind and Yamunanagar. 


About Tinka Tinka Foundation





Haryana Jail Radio is conceptualized by Dr. Vartika Nanda, founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation. Previously, the Foundation had started Jail Radio in District Jail, Agra in 2019.  The growth of prison radios in Haryana are part of an ongoing study on the Tinka Tinka Model of Prison Reforms. Dr. Vartika Nanda heads the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi.

Recently Haryana Prison Radio came in national news with the release of the song sung by Sheru, an inmate lodged In Ambala Central Jail. Based on the theme of Covid-19, this song was shared by former Union Health Minister, on his social media platforms.

Website: Jail Radio: Kurukshetra – Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms