NEW DELHI: It’s not all dun and drab inside Tihar central jail where women inmates are running a beauty parlour to give their jail mates a fragrant, spruced-up alter-life, and sometimes dressing professional models in clothes stitched by them. These inmates lodged in Central Jail No 6 in Tihar are making great strides towards a normal life undertaking new enterprises such as making pickles, designing, weaving, and enrolling in a beauty course.
The training aims to give the inmates a chance to embark on a life of dignity and independence once they are out of prison. According to jail officials, the inmates who are undertrials, as well as convicts, are being trained by an academy to design fashionable clothes with an offer of a certificate on completion of their course.
Models from across the world recently came to meet these women and walked the ramp wearing clothes stitched by them at a fashion show held inside the jail. A murder case undertrial said she was taught all kinds of stitching and embroidery by trainers from Pearl Academy. She hopes to put her newly- honed skills to earn a living once she’s out of jail.
Just like her, around 100 female inmates are being trained at the handloom unit of Tihar Jail where they are trained in making towels, sarees, and dresses. Sanjay Beniwal, Director General (Delhi Prisons), said it is very important to engage inmates in something positive and productive.
The new beauty parlour in Tihar Jail no 6 which is run by the women inmates trained by Habib's is a well-furnished room plastered with photos of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. There is a big mirror on one of the walls and wooden chairs for waiting customers. It is not unusual for many of these women inmates to pay a visit to the parlour for a touch-up every time a relative comes to meet them, or even ahead of a court hearing.
An inmate who works at the parlour said she knew some beauty hacks but after being trained here, she feels like a professional and loves her work. Inmates working at the parlour are paid wages for their work. At present, inmates are put under three categories - skilled, semiskilled and unskilled work, said a jail official.
Jail superintendent Krishna Sharma said the inmates are getting the training as part of the rehabilitation programme. “In the last 1 year alone, more than 300 female inmates have benefitted from this programme. It's difficult for women to get back to their families as nobody accepts them. The training allows them to not be dependent on anyone,” she said.
