The Stretch Of Freedom
Sunil, a tall brown complexioned man in his early thirties was an independent spirited person who loved freedom and liberty most. He believed that liberty is a natural gift which everyone, every creature should experience and feel all through the process of living.
He firmly believed that liberty is a natural order and God's gift to all living things.
All through his childhood, Sunil cherished full freedom in everything. His single parent, after the death of her husband had made a firm decision to bring up her son fully as an independent and free individual.
She always told him stories fostering liberty as the greatest quality, along the pathway of life.
Sunil never liked caging birds or cattle being used for manual labour or wild animals being trained in menageries and circus for shows and feats.
When he saw a cart driver scourge a horse or a bullock, he would not only feel uneasy but also get irritated.
On the other hand he saw people worshipping certain animals such as the bull, the cow and even the cobra.
However he loved to see people feeding pigeons, crows and the domestic animals. He believed that cruelty to animals needs to be treated severely and with punishment.
Sunil was popular for his beliefs; yet there were many who mocked at him ,taunting him when they had some occasion to do so or when they observed him saving someone or some little creature at his own risk.
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Sunil sat in his chair as usual in the central Prison, he was obviously upset over a prisoner's behaviour. He had now been posted as the chief jailor of the prison and as though the mocking Fate would have it ,he was in charge of some six hundred prisoners who were undergoing or serving
diverse sentences for the several crimes they had committed or adjudged to have committed.
Sunil at first did not like the job.
But as time passed he had many complex things to see and decipher. There were times when his mind was completely pre- occupied with certain odd happenings in the prison.
He had now been married and had two children.
At times he would either see or get upset about the rude behaviour of criminals.
His mind had tried hard to sort out all these. But he could not understand the strong violent promptings of crime and their hard effects.
Some prisoners he saw, were
incorrigible and wild. They thought negatively and took pride in being wild. They enjoyed most at the cost of the freedom of the rest. Such a criminal would snatch the eating plate of other lesser criminal and try to impress upon the rest with a wild roaring laughter.
In fact no one, not even the bouncers, sentries or the Wards
and the many of them put together could hold back such criminals or control them. Beating or thrashing or torturing had the least effect on these criminals.
Sunil in the beginning tried his best to transform such persons in his own way. He found that they were obdurate and could never understand his friendly words of advice. He wanted them to be cool and think in the darkness of the night as they slept. He wanted them to analyse their own behaviour and realise. They laughed rather loudly - a vicious, unrepentant laughter.
There was also an incident which took place in the prison.
A convict serving life imprisonment had hit another prisoner on the head and instantly killed him. The victim had only brushed his shoulder unintentionally against him in trying to move in the narrow passage leading to the open space where they all gathered for some special event or function.
The convict came to be alienated from others and was chained as well.
This disturbed the jailor to a great extent .He could not eat his food properly; nor even could he sleep this became the matter of concern for his family.
In fact they were all disturbed because of the incident in the prison.
Sunil's mind was pre- occupied with the thoughts of crimes, wrongs and sins which enclosed the field of liberty.
He could not confidently find
defined bounds for all these.
One seemed to erase the other. The first two seemed to be punishable by the society.
Whereas sins belonged to an aloof domain, sometimes secret and at times self- evident and reprobate.
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There was a turmoil in all the neighbouring vicinity of Sunils house as a long king cobra had found it's way into the neighbour's house. Sunil's wife Seema instantly secured her children and ran to the spot.
She saw that some half a dozen inmates of the house were running helter skelter within the compound.
Seema could see the rather long snake. She found her usual courage to take a small household container lying near about ;
She lost neither her time nor even her courage; but put the container on the hooded snake.
She proceeded to stop the snake and it's movement.
She was successful in restricting it's further movements and liberty to move about the place.
Courage, confidence and purpose were lucid on her face.
A snake expert was called and he dexterously handled the snake .
Using his skill ,he put it in a sack and took it away for setting it free in a reserved forest area.
Sunil was much impressed with his wife's courage and impulsive action.
When he freely praised her she only smiled and said :
" The snake by mistake or by choice transgressed it's liberty.
So I had to stop it and let it know about its limits. Ofcourse I didn't think of hurting or punishing it ".
This appealed to the mind of Sunil and he was happy with his wife's stand.
Prisoners he thought are not all alike ; nor do they come from the same background. Maybe they are born and brought up in similar backgrounds.
Liberty, he now realised needs such a check or restraint so that the harm resulting from someone's enjoyment of liberty may destroy the liberty of others.
Freedom is necessary as long as it does not hurt others or thwart the good deeds of others.
Punishment and reward become necessary to make amends to the impact of undefined liberty.
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The jailor in his uniform stepped out of the jeep and went inside the prison , a changed man. He had now decided to make the criminals realise the impact of crimes and wrongs of each one of them on the others who were their direct or indirect victims.
He spent a little more than a decade in this pursuit and mastered the skill. He now firmly believes that punishment given should carry the knowledge of hurt or harm caused to someone by the person undergoing punishment. Such a punishment follows or carries the rule of penitence and is well accepted by the person undergoing it.
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