Gumnaam nahin maroonga… he vowed in jail,walks out a writer

At the time of his arrest in 2001,Nagendra Singh Parihar,then 28 years old,had one dream to become a poet of repute some day.

At the time of his arrest in 2001,Nagendra Singh Parihar,then 28 years old,had one dream to become a poet of repute some day. And he didnt let the jail term come in the way of his dream. Last month,as he walked out of the Rewa Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh,he carried in his trunk the manuscripts of seven novels,dozens of short stories,a play and over 100 poems all of which he hopes to get published now.

Besides penning these during his nine years in jail,Parihar also obtained three masters degrees in Hindi Literature,English Literature and Sociology from Rewa University,a two-year diploma in music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti and a diploma in computer skills.

I had full faith in the power of the written word. The first poem I wrote in jail was Gumnaam Nahin Marunga Main (I shall not die in oblivion). They could imprison my body but not my soul, says Parihar.

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A resident of Shahdol in MP,Parihar was arrested on April 20,2001,for the death of his wife,following a complaint by his in-laws. His parents were also arrested. A case of torture,under Section 498A,was also slapped on him. In August 2002,he was convicted by the trial court in Shahdol. While his parents got bail,Parihar remained in jail. Last month,the Jabalpur High Court acquitted Parihar and his parents of the murder charge.

In prison,Parihar found an unusual mentor Surendra Singh,the senior jailor. I am glad he has been acquitted finally. He is innocent. His wife committed suicide,he did not murder her, said Singh.

I have never seen such a convict in the 27 years of my service. He was unusually prolific with words,read a lot and was always writing something. At first,he would write on paper. Later,he did a computer course,and we provided him with a computer. We offered him all help, said Singh.

Singh even helped Parihar send some of the manuscripts to publishers,but the tag of a murder convict proved to be a big stumbling block. Nobody was ready to take chances, said Parihar.

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Now that he is free again,Parihar plans to renew his search for publishers. On the legal front,he hopes to approach the Supreme Court seeking acquittal in the torture charge. I loved my wife a lot,and never tortured her. Unless I am freed of this charge too,I cannot become a teacher.

Parihar found his calling in teaching in jail. He taught over 600 inmates how to read and write. They came as angootha chhap,but could sign the jail register on their release, says Singh. In fact,for Parihar,his best moment in jail was when an illiterate inmate came to him,in tears,with a postcard he had written to his family.