Presidency Correctional Home inmates now stitch fashion wear

Inmates of Presidency Correctional Home, here are being imparted training for stitching costumes for fashion events in the first such initiative.

"These people will make fashion wear and that will be sold from boutiques. My team is conducting workshop within the correctional home premises and we have already set up 24 state-of-the-art sewing machines," well-known fashion designer Abhisek Dutta told PTI.

Most of the inmates are convicts in serious offences while the rest are undertrials and the correctional home authorities are extending all help, Dutta said.

"The correctional home authorities had approached me to do something for the inmates when I had previously met prison officials at an event and that's how it all began," Dutta, who is collaborating with West Bengal government-run Tantuja with his retail pretline, said.
 

Asserting there were certain misconceptions about correctional home inmates, he said, "My assistant designer and many other members of my team, most of them women, have been interacting with them for couple of days inside the premises. And never did they feel scared or threatened."

Those having shown skill in the one and half month long workshop will be inducted in the industry as weavers.

"We had seen due to prejudices they do not get employment after coming out of prison. If they become part of our fashion industry by consistently working during their prison term and get remuneration, they can be inducted formally after release," he said.

A Presidency Correctional Home official said, "In past there had been training programmes for inmates but no follow-up action was taken and hence they could not put to use their skill.

"We had discussed that issue with Dutta and he had also made it clear that he would only work on a long-term basis," the official added.

In another four-five year time, they will be called as 'Karigars', Dutta said adding, "Those oriented to art have been selected after we saw their sketch."

Danseuse-social activist Alakananda Roy said, "From my experience in working with them (correctional home inmates) in my cultural programmes, I know they have an aesthetic side which needs to be tapped and they should be allowed to come back to the mainstream of society."

Actor Parambrata Chatterjee also pledged support to the initiative and said he will lobby for the fashion wear stitched by them.