April 6, 1998

Convicts bring colour into their dour lives by weaving exquisite carpets.

By Rohit Parihar

The hunt is in full swing; a fleeing lion is swiftly pursued by a king and his huntsmen. Under Chinder Singh's deft hand, the hunters and the hunted spring to life. Ironically, the man who weaves magic and creates works of such abiding beauty is in jail -- he has been lodged in Bikaner's Central Jail for 15 years now -- for having committed a murder. Having learnt carpet weaving from another lifer, Arjun Singh, Chinder Singh, in turn, teaches other convicts the finer points of the art. "I will retire soon,'' he says, awaiting a decision on his application for release, "and someone else will carry on this tradition.''

Many surmise that these exquisite carpets were first made in 1872 when the jail was constructed by Maharajah Dungar Singh of Bikaner. Legend has it that towards the end of the 19th century, Maharajah Ganga Singh bought some carpets from abroad and on returning home showed them to his ministers. They vied with each other in showering praises till they were cut short by a jailer who pointed out that the carpets had been made in the maharajah's own jail. Testifying to the excellent weaving are more than a dozen medals, some dating back to the period 1900-12. Carpets made in the jail were displayed during the Imperial Exhibition at London in 1911 and the industrial exhibition of the Indian National Congress at Mumbai in 1904.

What make the carpets unique are the Persian and Rajasthani motifs and the vibrant colours used. As carpet-making is part of the convicts' sentence, they are not given any money to weave the minimum stipulated one inch of carpet a day. A sum of Rs 3.50 is given to them for any extra inch that they may weave but few do that. The fact that the prisoners have been demanding a cup of tea while working is a pointer to their privations. Arun Duggar, director-cum-ig, prisons, makes light of the situation, saying: "We try to motivate them by promising remission in their jail terms if they consistently work beyond the prescribed limit.'' A.R. Niazi, jail superintendent, is more blunt: "Some of the convicts are really lazy, but then we cannot use force to increase their output.''

For the convicts, weaving carpets is not an easy job. Consummate patience and care are qualities integral to the job. Since the prisoners are undergoing punishment, they cannot exercise any option in selecting the sort of work they do. Some try to shy away from weaving. Says Krishan, a lifer: "The tedious work on carpets is so time consuming that we barely manage to complete our targets.'' In practical terms, scarce resources will prevent convicts from setting up their own looms once they are released.

A fine carpet takes a long time to make. For the past three years, Kulvinder Singh is weaving a beautiful 12 ft by 15 ft carpet which will take another two years to complete. It is expected to fetch Rs 20,000. Like him, at any given time, about 50 prisoners are busy making carpets which yield a return of between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh a year. Old-timers recall that foreigners have at times paid as much as Rs 1.7 lakh for a carpet. Master weaver Chinder Singh has been credited with making four carpets in a year, each measuring 9 ft by 6 ft. Modestly dismissing his expertise, he says it is a matter of "interest''.

The jail staff at times displays ingenuity in harnessing creativity. Recently, when some currency forgers were arrested, the officials used their help to create new designs for the carpets. And when a loom -- one of the world's largest -- needed repairs, help came from unexpected quarters: the Army's local division, which offered to undertake the work for Rs 1.75 lakh. But all is not well: the looms are grimy with pigeon droppings and falling plaster, and inadequate illumination makes working difficult. Yet the work goes on. "This is our rich tradition,'' says Duggar firmly, "and we are struggling to preserve it.'' For the prisoners, though, this is all the colour they can boast of in their colourless lives.

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