The recreational club of Presidency jail was the venue of an iftar on Monday that saw all 2,000-plus inmates come together as an embodiment of shared living within the four walls of a correctional home, blurring the lines of religious divide, officials said.
Inmates joined hands in laying the tables and serving food in the club hall in the middle of the jail compound in Alipore as the 650-odd Muslim inmates gathered to break their fast at 6.01 in the evening.
A sense of festivity prevailed as Dipankar, Bapi and Pradip joined Rezual, Salim and Shabir in serving rose syrup, fritters and fruits. A few like Aftab Ansari, Sudipta Sen, Jamaluddin Nasir and Gautam Kundu chose to return to their cells carrying their plates.
Officials said an 11-member roza committee headed by Sheikh Javed had proposed that it wanted all inmates to join hands for an iftar. Monday emerged as a consensus date. Accordingly, all inmates were informed that a get-together would be held at 6pm.
“It was a collective effort all the way from deciding the menu to preparing the food and serving it,” said Debasis Chakraborty, superintendent of the Presidency Correctional Home.
“There are plans to celebrate Id in a similar fashion with everyone joining in inside the correctional home. The roza committee will prepare the final plans,” said an official.
