Unfathomable are the ways of Love! With love comes compassion, belongingness. Love has no border, it sees no color, it doesn’t differentiate, it embraces all. Even the toughest of criminals, when shown compassion, bow down with folded hands and surrender themselves to the beginning of a new life. 

Akhilesh Singh, a once feared criminal serving time in Ghaghidih Jail, Jamshedpur, has experienced transformation and is living a new life. He, along with other inmates took the Prison SMART course of The Art of Living and learnt the Sudarshan Kriya that has brought about a change in him, and in the otherwise hostile atmosphere. Akhilesh, who is facing trial, took a step further and became the first inmate of the prison to experience the Advanced Meditation Course of The Art of Living.

Ghaghidih Jail started having these workshops after a ‘MoU’ was signed between The Art of Living and IG (prisons) Vijay Kumar in January, 2012. “Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji’s Art of Living works wonders, and brings about positive changes in those who have deviated into the world of crime. We are confident that the course will be effective in reforming even the toughest ones,” shares Vijay Kumar. According to the agreement, the course will be conducted in all 26 jails of the state. Over a thousand prisoners out of the 18,000 under trial and convicted inmates across the state prisons will undertake the workshop.

Thousands of prisoners in India have undergone the Prison SMART program and are living a life of harmony. A changed life like Akhilesh Singh’s, further prove that love has no boundaries.

Please write to us at webteam.india@artofliving.org with your comments and ideas.

Writer: Eben Felix