453 prisoners take exam on Ahimsa, Gandhi's autobiography

Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography 'My experiments with Truth', 453 prisoners lodged in various jails in Maharashtra took the Gandhi peace examination this year.

The examination, conducted by an NGO, Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal, was based on the principles of the father of the nation, including 'Ahimsa' (non-violence), practised by him, TRK Somaiya, who heads the Mandal, said.

The examinations were conducted in various jails in Mumbai, Kalyan, Chandrapur, Wardha, Bhusawal, Dhule, Paithan, Bhandara, Osmanabad and Ratnagiri.

In the Ratnagiri jail, 27 inmates along with superintendent VP Kapde, 10 jail officials, three journalists and two social workers appeared for the test on Thursday.

As the examination was being conducted in Marathi, Hindi and English languages, some Muslim convicts of 1993 bomb blasts, lodged in the Ratnagiri jail, made a request to the NGO to provide them with the Urdu translation of the autobiography.

The Gandhi Peace examinations are being supervised by a former convict, Laxman Ghole, who joined Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal after his release from prison last year.

Ghole spins Khadi on a Charkha every day and has been touring various jails and delivering lectures on Gandhian values enumerating his own experiences.

After meeting Ghole, many prisoners have pledged to devote themselves to Gandhian ideals after their release from prison, Mandal president Somaiya said.

Usually, the Gandhi peace examination is conducted in two jails of Maharashtra every month. Plans are afoot to organise such tests in Delhi's Tihar jail also, Somaiya said.

In October this year, Mandal will hold examination in all jails of Maharashtra on the same day.