Ludhiana: Five inmates of the Ludhiana Central Jail have poured their heart, their emotions and thoughts to make a bouquet of poems and songs, which was released on Tuesday. The creativity of the inmates is categorized in four sections of ’Guldasta’—regret & remorse, parental love, romance, religion and pride & patriotism. The poems and songs have also been translated from Punjabi to English. From expressing their love and apology to the parents, to seeking mercy from the God, speaking against crime against women and even youth getting attracted to violence, the inmates have touched various notes of emotions. Some of the titles are – ‘Maa tera putt ladla, phas gya jail vich, Bappu fikar na kari, jake border te ladd, told de zanjeeran wale bann dateya’.This initiative has been taken by an NGO that not only encourages the inmates to write, but also got the book printed and was now making it available online for sale. The inmates who contributed for the book include Gurinder Singh alias ‘Rozi Dhootan wala’, who is an undertrial in a drug-peddling case, Yogesh Kumar Bawa, who a convict in a theft case, Kamalpreet Singh, an undertrial in a theft case, Kuldeep Singh Meena, who has been convicted in an NDPS Act case, and Gurpreet Singh Lucky, who is an undertrial in a murder case.Facing conviction in a theft case lodged against him in 2025, Yogesh Kumar wrote a poem addressing his mother, wondering when he would get bail and meet his mother. He says, “Maaye tera putt ladla, aj faseya peya ae vich jail. Vichon Vichi jave sukda, pata nai kad honi ae bail. Maadi Kismat nikali maaye, nikale si maade mere lekh. Aayi na tu mulakaat te, haal putt da hona ai tethon dekh. Maaye tera putt ladka aj faseya peya ae vich jail.” (Mother, your cherished son lies trapped in jail. He withers from within, not knowing when he will get bail. My fate is cruel, mother, my destiny is flawed. Do not come to visit me, your son’s state you will not be able to see.)While Yogesh expressed his emotions for his mother, another inmate Kamalpreet Singh alias Kamal Chauhan in his poem envisions to become his father’s supporting pillar to bring him out of poverty. The titles for both his poems are— “Baapu Fikar Na Kari” and “Baapu Chakani Garibi tere sir ton”.
