Freedom Park set to house jail museum

Freedom Park set to house jail museum
— Sruthy Susan Ullas
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Ever wondered what life in a jail is like? How was it before Independence? Wait till you get to see the museum that is being proposed at the Old Central Jail.
The BBMP has commissioned the Indian Foundation for Arts to create a jail museum reflecting the life in central jails of the state over the years. The museum, proposed to come up at Freedom Park, will tell stories of the experience in prisons.
According to initial plans, the main building of the central jail will be turned into the museum. The first phase of research is already under way by the IFA. The plan is to have antiques and images from the seven central jails of Karnataka, including Bellary, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Belgaum and Mysore prisons.
The antiques will include torture instruments and medical equipment. “It will be a journey through the history of each prison, the freedom fighters who were imprisoned there during the British rule and the condition of prisoners. This would be contrasted with prison life today,” said Shai Heredia, who is part of the research team. “Each prison has a different story to tell. We will bring all of them under a single roof.” The team is at present travelling and talking to prisoners, jailers and others.