INDIA: Author and prison reform advocate Vartika Nanda’s book J Se Jail was released at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), bringing attention to the often overlooked human experiences inside India’s prisons.
The book, published by Prabhat Prakashan, was formally released by Justice Sandeep Mehta, Judge of the Supreme Court of India. The programme was chaired by Rambahadur Rai, President of IGNCA, while Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of IGNCA, attended as Guest of Honour. The event was organised by the Kalanidhi Division of IGNCA, Ministry of Culture.
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Speaking at the launch, Justice Mehta said prisons and prisoners continue to be treated as subjects that society often prefers not to discuss. He congratulated Nanda for addressing the subject through her writing and said the book presents prison life in a way that draws attention to the possibility of reform and hope.
Justice Mehta also referred to a story in the book about a child who left prison for the first time while accompanying her mother to a court hearing. Having never seen a cat before, the child reportedly mistook it for a ghost. The incident, he said, illustrates how prison environments can shape the experiences and perceptions of children who grow up within them.
He said J Se Jail offers readers an opportunity to engage with the less visible realities of prison life and underlines the importance of a reformative approach to justice.
Chairing the programme, Rambahadur Rai described the book as an accessible account of prison life and said it looks at prisons not only as places of punishment but also as spaces where learning and change can take place. Drawing from his own experience of imprisonment, Rai reflected on how the character of prisons and public perceptions of them have evolved over time.
Sachchidanand Joshi said the book goes beyond a conventional fictional narrative and reflects the lived realities associated with prisons. Recalling his own experiences connected with prison life, he said that understanding prisons from the outside is fundamentally different from experiencing or observing them from within.
Speaking about the making of the book, Vartika Nanda said its characters were inspired by people she encountered during visits to different prisons. She said those visits left her carrying back the stories, pain and struggles of inmates.
Nanda described prison as an important teacher in her life and said her experiences there had influenced both her understanding of people and her approach to writing. She also appealed to readers to ensure that the book reaches people inside prisons, saying that literature can also become a means of connection between those inside and outside prison walls.
The launch also featured a Tinka Tinka exhibition showcasing creative work and initiatives associated with prison communities. Despite protests elsewhere in the city, the auditorium at IGNCA was filled during the programme. The event was conducted by Prabhat Kumar of Prabhat Prakashan, who also delivered the vote of thanks.
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