Breaking Barriers: Culinary Arts Behind Bars in Kolkata

The Alipore Women's Correctional Home's 'Abhinno' initiative empowers inmates through culinary arts and crafts, selling products directly to the public. This project bridges community gaps, rebuilds inmate dignity, and offers sustainable rehabilitation, setting new standards in prison reform across West Bengal.

In a transformative initiative, inmates from the Alipore Women's Correctional Home in Kolkata engage in 'Abhinno,' a program allowing them to prepare and sell food and crafts to the public, breaking barriers between incarceration and society.

Launched by the West Bengal Correctional Services Department in July, this project serves as a model for prison reform, promoting dignity and self-sufficiency. Women inmates operate stalls right outside prison gates, offering a tangible connection to the community while earning income and building confidence.

The pioneering project not only reshapes lives within prison walls but also changes societal perceptions, leading to plans for expansion across all major jails in West Bengal.

(With inputs from agencies.)