Newly released book on prisons in Gujarat garners praise

- ADVERTISEMENT -

A book entitled “Gujarat Prisons: The X Factor – A Human Transformation”, was released on Nov 14, 2024 by the Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, and the Director General of Police, Prisons and Correctional Administration, Gujarat State, Dr. K.L.N. Rao, IPS, at Rajbhawan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Dr. Indu Rao, the author of the book, visited prisons in Gujarat extensively during the five years (2019-2024), covering the period before, during and after the Covid pandemic, to study the conditions of the facilities and the prisoners incarcerated there. She was deeply touched by what she saw inside the prisons, and narrates her observations in this book.

Her study of the humanitarian aspect of prisons and her close observation, as well as the immersive experience of the working of Gujarat prisons during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, brings to light the extraordinary situation relating to both the prisoners as well as the prison officers. It reveals a heartwarming story of the human side of both groups.

While the world was under lock-down and dealing with an unforeseen tragedy of human lives, there was no death inside Gujarat prisons, notes the book. On the contrary, the prisoners were taken care of by improving their living conditions, developing their skill sets, and alongside, adopting a holistic approach to their mental and physical well being, all the while, protecting them from the deadly Covid-19 virus.

The Gujarat Prisons went through a journey of ‘human transformation’ during this time, as the title of the book indicates. The narrative in the book is a classic example of an authentic leadership, teamwork and kindness witnessed inside Gujarat prisons during the period 2019-2024, observers say.

Author Indu Rao is the Director of the Advanced Systems Centre (ASC) at VIT University in Vellore. She has a PhD in Management, Behavioral and Social Science from University of Twente, the Netherlands, and a PhD from MohanLal Sukhadia University (MLSU). India, as well as an ABD from Florida International University, and Post- Doctoral Fellow in Organizational Behaviour from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. She is a recipient of prestigious awards from the government, industry and academia for her pioneering research and scholarly work.

The book will be available soon on an Amazon link. The proceeds will go directly to Prisoner Welfare Fund, a press release said. The book has also been printed and published in-house, inside the prisons.