Wednesday evening turned into a spiritual affair for the inmates of Sabarmati Central Prison, as famous kathakar Morari Bapu visited the jail and spent time with them. Both convicted and undertrial prisoners were blessed by Bapu with his unique oratorical skills.
Without much ceremonial protocol, Bapu linked up with the inmates quickly and said: "I am not here to preach you with any spiritual lecture or give you any advice or teachings. But I want to tell you that now you are in your atonement and penance period and use it in way so that it becomes useful to your family and society. In fact, there are more culprits outside the jail than inside, the difference between you and them is that you have been caught and punished.''
Bapu taught inmates a chant that explains the position of goddess of wealth Laxmi, goddess of knowledge Saraswati and Lord Krishna in the hand. "It was the hand by which the crime was committed, whether it was pickpocket, loot, robbery or even murder. But if you understand that it is the hand only, where all these gods and goddess are positioned, you can learn to use your hand for better and useful work," he said.
He also recollected his experiences of living with jail inmates for nine days at Bhavnagar during Ramkatha in the town. He connected the prison life and materialistic life in a philosophical way through a story of a president's visit to a prison and fulfilling the demands of inmates. "Actually this world is a big jail and we are bound by worldly illusions and demanding materialistic comforts from God, but we don't ask for emancipation from this illusionary materialistic life," he said.
Bapu also asked for food that is served to inmates as 'Bhiksha' to a sadhu. He said, "Now we will have relationship of roti (bread), so you are invited to Talgajarada (Morari Bapu's home town).''
He also offered his Ramkatha recordings to the prison so that they could be shown to the inmates. Inspector-general (prisons) PC Thakur said, "We are inviting such religious leaders for spiritual rejuvenation of inmates. That will help them to develop themselves."
