Nelson Mandela Day and Voices from Jails: Tinka Tinka Foundation
By Ananya Sharma & Ananya Nair
Celebrating through prison radio: Dr. Suchit Narang, Rohit Verma and Arun, the Tinka Tinka team from Doon Jail Radio, Dehradun came together to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day. This year the theme for this special podcast was Dreams in Jails. This special episode of Tinka Tinka Jail Radio is a tribute to the undying spirit of Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years of his life in jail. Later on, as the President of South Africa, he strongly cemented the ideas on Human Rights. Mandela’s selfless dedication to human rights and equality has inspired acts of kindness, community service, activism, and has fostered positive change in the world.
Tinka Jail Radio Podcast:
This particular episode has been presented in collaboration with District Jail, Dehradun. The episode commemorates Nelson Mandela’s journey in prison and aims at celebrating the dreams that are born in jails. This episode gives a voice to the dreams of several inmates, including Dr. Suchit Narang, Rohit Verma and Arun, who also lent their voice to the Tinka Tinka theme song. These dreams are shared by several other inmates who dream of a reformed and peaceful life after their prison sentence is over. All these inmates have gained a new identity of being a Radio Jockey, after being trained by Dr. Vartika Nanda, prison reformer and founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation.
Objectives of Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcasts:
Tinka Tinka podcasts are the only podcasts in India that narrates and documents stories of prison reforms. Conceived, narrated and produced by prison reformer and media educator Dr. Vartika Nanda, these exclusive episodes are available on YouTube and Spotify. The signature tune of the song of the Tinka Tinka has been created by 3 inmates lodged in District Jail, Dehradun. They have been an integral part of the podcast journey.
Tinka Tinka Jail Radio is an exclusive series of podcasts that have been dedicated to its objective to bring inspirational stories that are birthed in prisons. It has continuously worked to bring a positive change in the living conditions of jail inmates and encourage them towards art and creativity.
Background of Tinka Tinka Foundation:
Tinka Tinka Foundation is a public charitable trust that aims to bring positive change in prisons. Vartika Nanda is the founder of this organisation. She was conferred with the Stree Shakti Puraskar by the President of India in 2014 for her seminal contribution to women empowerment through media and literature. Her name has appeared in the Limca Book of Records twice, for her unique contribution to prison reforms, which was also taken due cognizance by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. Currently, she heads the Department of Journalism, Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. Dr Vartika Nanda has also authored three books on prisons, Tinka Tinka Tihar, Tinka Tinka Dasna, and Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh that present authentic documentation of life in prisons. Through her books, Dr Nanda strives to connect the two realities – the real-life tests of inmates and of perception. These books are a tribute to the human spirit that shines in each of these inmates, regardless of their circumstances. A former journalist, she now heads the Department of Journalism in Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. She is also the official storyteller of Delhi Police, narrating Kissa Khaki Ka, the only podcast series run by any police department in India. These podcasts are done on an honorary basis. Tinka Tinka Foundation can be contacted at www.tinkatinka.org
