After food and farming, it’s yoga for prisoners

The ancient discipline of yoga will now help prisoners at Central Prison, Poojappura, to keep their mind and body healthy.

The Prisons Department, in association with the Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, is starting yoga classes for the prisoners from August 14 onwards. The free classes will be conducted by noted yoga expert Rajakrishna, the Trust said.

‘’I practise yoga and has benefited from it. I started it after undergoing a major spine surgery. I recovered fully due to yoga. In fact, we’ve been thinking of this project for some time,’’ Trust executive director K N Anandakumar said.

Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will inaugurate the initiative at the prison on August 14. ADGP (Prisons) Alexander Jacob will preside over the function.

The Poojappura prison has been in the news for its novel initiatives such as a catering service offering tasty chapatis and chicken curry, idlies and for several agricultural and horticultural ventures. The prison also has a small paddy field on its campus.

The yoga class will be the 70th project undertaken by the Trust, Anandakumar said.

Earlier this week, the Trust had announced a ‘Social Tourism’ project in association with the Tourism Department to promote ethnic and traditional art forms of Kerala like ‘Pullvanpaatu’ and ‘kalarippayattu’ at Sai Gramam, the institution which it runs at Thonnackal.