Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Shamiksha Mallick
The nationalist movement in the pre-Independence years, has left its remnants at a number of places in the entire country. Every single location of India has had its own story from the independence movement. A very historically relevant one was that of the Yerwada Central Jail which is a high security prison located in Yerwada, Pune, Maharashtra. This prison has been a witness to a number of important events and a number of significant leaders that were locked up here.
Constructed by the British rulers in the year 1871, this jail has seen the imprisonment of various nationalist leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru. Recent personalities like Actor Sanjay Dutt and Social worker Anna Hazare were also incarcerated here. It is divided into several sections and parts which include spaces called ‘Gandhi Yard’ and ‘Tilak Yard’. These are memorial-like areas made where these leaders used to stay. In the ‘Gandhi Yard’, there is a charkha and his chappals kept there as a symbol of his legacy. There is also a Faasi Yard for executions along with a separate women prison and an open prison.
Gandhiji was incarcerated thrice in this prison. His first stay was in 1922 to 1924 when he was accused of writing some allegedly provocative articles. The second visit was from January 1932 to May 1933 followed by the third stay for 22 days in August 1933. During these jail years, he started working on his autobiography, “My experiments with truth”. Apparently, these stays also made him develop an interest in star gazing and astronomy. This prison also witnessed the famous Poona Pact between Gandhi and Ambedkar in 1932. During the same year, Gandhi took up to an indefinite fast in jail to protest against the Communal Award for the depressed classes, specifically, the separate electorates for depressed classes, which he considered as one of the means to divide the Indian subcontinent. Ambedkar on the other hand was in favour of separate electorates. The Poona pact was therefore signed between the two due to the pressure on Gandhi for ending the fast due to his deteriorating health wherein the pact stated that instead of separate electorates, seats will be reserved for the depressed classes.
Due to such instances, Yerwada therefore, strongly promotes Gandhian philosophy and ideas because of his association with the prison during the years of nationalist movement which has led to a Gandhian culture within the prison walls. The mango tree under which the Poona pact was signed still exists and it has now become a center where the prisoners sing devotional songs on special occasions associated to Gandhi like his birth anniversary or the anniversary of the Poona pact. On October 2, the prisoners also used to give an annual exam in which they were tested upon Gandhian ethics and values and were made to write essays on his life and contributions.
The prison also focuses on improving the quality of life and reforming the thoughts of the prisoners where in they are also taught a number of things like growing organic vegetables and farming. Also, some parts of the prison where there are no inmates like the Gandhi Yard, Tilak Yard and the Faasi Yard were also opened up for tourism purposes.
REFERENCES:
1. ‘Gandhi Yard’ memorial continues to inspire at Yerawada Jail
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mahatma-gandhi-150th-birth-anniversary-gandhi-yard-memorial-continues-to-inspire-at-yerawada-jail/story-ZIDrN5BMUHZiJhteynkCoJ_amp.html
2. Gandhi, Sanjay Dutt, Kasab — Pune’s Yerawada jail, open to public, has many stories to tell
3. “The Previous Fasts”. The Indian Express. 19 January 1948
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LLw-AAAAIBAJ&pg=4995,4559107&dq=
4. Yerwada Jail Was Witness To The Historic ‘Poona Pact’
https://www.thebridgechronicle.com/amp/story/pune/yerwada-jail-was-witness-historic-%E2%80%98poona-pact%E2%80%99-41502
5. Maharashtra to unlock history in prisons
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra-to-unlock-history-in-prisons/article33645105.ece/amp/
