A bard emerges from behind the bars

HYDERABAD: A man serving life sentence on murder charge will turn a bard when his cassette of songs and poems is released on Tuesday.
Says the man B Venkanna, who’s serving the sentence at Cherlapally jail: “I’ve scripted lyrics for 600 songs, including 100 in Hindi and the rest in Telugu and some of them have found a place in my cassette. It will be released by film producer and director T Bharadwaj.�
The cassette, he informs, is produced by none other than jail medical officers Dr V Sambasiva Rao and Dr I Guru Prasad.Jail authorities, including DIG, prisons, M R Ahmed chipped in with their support.
“I’ve sung the numbers with professional singers such as Shrikant, Lenina Choudhary, B Susheela and Kalashri M Bhikshu,’’ says Venkanna, who hails from Khammam.
The album includes songs like Jailupakshi, Khaidishankaravam and Janapadhasingaralu, which bring out the trauma of those who live in prison cells.
Venkanna’s next project is a compilation of songs in support of the anti-AIDS campaign.
The song Jailupakshi talks of the world outside ...nithi ledu, nyayam lethu, nijam annadi yedi ledu (...there’s no justice, no fairness and nothing called truth).
Another song narrates the plight of a sister awaiting her elder brother’s return home. The brother remains trapped behind bars staring helplessly at the huge iron gates that separate him from freedom.
Within the forbidding confines of the prison are others like Venkanna — writers, poets,musicians and academics.
One of them, Sharma, is a flautist and serving a life term. Jail warder V Appala Naidu is effusive in his praise for the man. “He’s highly talented. He’s amazing with the flute and can go on for hours.�
Panduranga Rao picked up Hindi after he landed at the jail. He’s now a Hindi tutor to other prisoners.