Colors of the Cage by Arun Ferreira

Author:Arun Ferreira [Ferreira, Arun]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781942173137
Google: xXZQzQEACAAJ
Publisher: Common Notions
Published: 2021-02-09T05:18:33+00:00

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#23, Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Our mulakaat was very disappointing. We did not manage to get time and I was not produced in court. You must have waited the whole day. I had no method of informing you not to do so. I sometimes think it’s better that we do not make plans for such visits, rather than living through the frustration of it collapsing—a waste of time, money, and most of all, emotions.

The cold has decreased considerably. The yard is now full, i.e., all the cells are occupied. About eight of them are on death row. The latest entrant is a Bihari migrant sentenced to death for rape and murder by the Vasai (Mumbai) Sessions Court. He reminds me of one of the characters of The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga), with all his flirtations with crime and extreme poverty in his village. His antics are presently the center of all amusement and entertainment. Soon they may become the cause of irritation and quarrel.

The phasi yard had its own codes. For instance, no one ever talked about a fellow prisoner’s offense casually. If, by chance, the topic came up it generated a visible show of emotion. The convict would almost immediately slip into a silent, contemplative mood, which made everyone uncomfortable, or he would go into a rant about why he had been compelled to commit the crime. If the offense was sexual in nature, he would aggressively declare that he had been falsely accused.

Another characteristic of this yard was that everyone was short-tempered and edgy. Small scraps could immediately flare up into physical fights and bloodletting. Continuous residence in the yard, seeing the same old faces day after day, for years on end, kept the convict in a perennial state of irritation and depression. Most of all, the uncertainty was impossible to deal with. Life in the shadow of the gallows left no scope for hope, that essential ingredient that kept other prisoners going. In December 2018, India had 371 convicts on death row (and more in Maharashtra than any other state in the country).

#25, Wednesday, February 18, 2009

With the coming summer we have once again requested that fans be installed in the cells. As usual it was answered by more promises. I am enjoying studying the course syllabus stuff. Although it is vast, I am able to concentrate as it deals with the issues that interest me. The only problem is in taking exams after such a long academic break. The judge is keen to complete the case soon especially after the Supreme Court strictures.

Another bit of bad news is that the Gondia police have sought the custody of Dhanendra and Naresh in two offenses, nearly two years after their initial arrest. But can we ever dare to question the “noble” intentions of these “honorable” men? As you mentioned during your last visit, the economic crisis has severely hit the job securities of the middle class. The poor were always in a state of permanent crisis. The situation went unnoticed as long as it was restricted to the poor.

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