MANGALDAI, Feb 25 - 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 200 inmates of Mangaldai district jail and several prominent persons of the State on Sunday afternoon were witness to this historical moment when a US-based Assamese couple expressed their willingness in public to adopt the district jail.
Lohit Narayan Konwar, a US-based environment scientist of Mangaldai origin while speaking at a function organised 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 from now onwards they will be part of all the happiness and sadness of the inmates of the jail . �I assure you to do everything for you within our limit,�Konwar added.
Speaking 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 into an institution of mental development and rehabilitation. He gave credit to jailer Munindra Sharma and his fellow staff of the jail established in the year 1898 for bringing about 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 bestseller 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 Zila Sahitya Sabha, prominent entrepreneur and advocate Mani Kangkan Barooah, exponent of Ojapali music Tirth Nath Oja were also among 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 by inmate Arup Jyoti Deka. It is worth mentioning here that the inmates of the jail have shown a rare example of a 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 contributions.