Social activist and celebrity dancer, Alokananda Roy on The Female Ward

As I read through the pages of the book, I could see the familiar faces in the Correctional Homes come alive in writing--- faces nobody bothers to think about because they are offenders ---- not Human beings.

I am so happy that you have cared to speak for thousands of unknown , uncared voices which will touch people and could open many eyes and hearts . It is a book which will also make people value life, not just of oneself, but of others…  especially the innocent children who are helplessly held captive for no faults of their own.

May this book change lives of thousands of prisoners who are human beings with the same emotions of joy, sorrow ,pain and dreams like you and me . God bless you.

..........................................................Alokananda Roy

and the cover page is here...

The Female Ward... God Almost Exists

…........It was 5:30 pm. The sun was falling beyond the trees that lined the Royal College of Engineering campus. The bell rang, marking the end of the first exam of the semester. The oscillating fan was rattling away when the police arrested Dishari and her friends. Was it only ragging, the way media had put it, or was it symptomatic of some much deeper malaise?

….......The hall with dull yellow walls, the banyan tree, the cold winter nights, the chilled water, the broken window panes, corruption and much more haunts the four walls of the jail every moment. The girls study for their seventh semester exam in this bleak environment shorn of the basic amenities. The ‘jailhold’ work becomes a part of their lives amidst the engineering books.

….......Dishari saw the last hint of orange peeking over the banyan tree before little Rinki fell asleep; and then came the storm… bringing wind, rain, terror, death.