On September 15, 1959, India’s public service broadcaster, Doordarshan, was launched in New Delhi. Celebrating the occasion, Tinka Tinka Jail Radio released its 72nd episode dedicated to the musical reservoirs being created in different jails through the Tinka Jail Radio, especially District Jail, Dehradun and District Jail, Sonipat. Dr. Suchit Narang, Rohit Verma and Arun and three other inmates namely, Joginder Verma, Vinod Thapa and Sudhir Tiwari, incarcerated in District Jail, Dehradun have lent their voices to this episode of the Tinka Jail Radio Podcast, which are the only podcasts in India conceived, scripted and narrated by India’s prison reformer and media educator Dr. Vartika Nanda.
Research on Jail Music and Tinka Jail Radio:
The research for this podcast is conducted by Tinka Tinka Prison Research Cell, which was established in the year 2022 with the objective of analysing the role of Tinka Jail Radio in prison reforms. Though this episode is based on the progress and impact of jail radio in DJ, Dehradun, it also has a mention of the international conference held in Barcelona, Spain from 6-8 September, 2023. Dr. Vartika Nanda, founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation, presented a detailed paper on “Music on Prison Radio: Impact of Tinka Jail Radio on Inmates in Sonipat Prison, Haryana, India” in the conference. The presentation began with a melody by Dr. Suchit Narang. Jail radio was also discussed in Barcelona, Spain.
Content on the jail radio:
Tinka Jail Radio in Dehradun broadcasts a wide range of programmes like ‘Aap Kahein, Hum Sunein’, which allows inmates to showcase their skills and talents. The programmes cover a broad spectrum of interests like yoga, spirituality and culture. ‘Wednesday Special’ is presented by the female inmates every wednesday. The duration of jail radio is 3 hours. It is aired from 9:00-10:30 a.m. in the mornings and 3:00-4:30 p.m. every evening.
‘Hello Farmaish’ is a beloved segment of the jail radio. This segment plays the songs requested by the inmates. RJ Arun mentions that the inmates request songs from a diverse range of genres like Punjabi, Hindi and even romance with a tinge of melancholy sometimes. Some of the most requested singers Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Mukesh. The radio caters to 20-25 song requests every day.
Tinka Tinka Jingle:
Jail radio begins with a jingle that has been composed in the jail. It has become a symbol of positivity and hope in the premises of prisons. 3 inmates came forward to share how music played by the jail radio in general, and the jingle in particular, brought a change in their lives and has motivated them to be associated with the jail radio. The jingle itself became the reason why these inmates learnt instruments, started teaching music and came up with an orchestra in the jail.
These podcasts are available on YouTube and Spotify.
(This is released by Tinka Prison Research Cell, established in 2021).