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Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
Kaushambi jail to launch 2nd phase of literacy programme for illiterate inmates
Prayagraj: As many as 60 inmates of Kaushambi district jail, who had never been to school, will learn to read and write and get trained in basic arithmetic by five 'literate prisoners' under the second phase of the Shiksha Plus campaign. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Under the campaign, the Shiv Nadar Foundation will provide digital training to five intermediate pass-out inmates, who will later teach other prisoners. The classes will start in first week of July. "It's a 90-day schedule, and regular classes will be conducted for the inmates from the first week of July. The classes will be held in two batches with 30 inmates in each. One batch will be for women inmates, and the other batches will have inmates below 25 years of age and above 40 years of age," Kaushambi district superintendent jail Ajitesh Mishra told TOI. Mishra said there are around 850 inmates lodged at Kaushambi district jail of which 60, who never went to school, were identified. "After carrying out a survey, we picked up 60 inmates who showed a keen interest in learning basic arithmetic," he said, adding , "Members of the Shiv Nadar Foundation will provide digital training on laptops to five inmates who are intermediate pass or have done graduation. They would later conduct classes for all 60 inmates in two batches." Each batch will be provided with books and stationery, and they will also be given homework sheets and tutorials. Regular tests will also be held, said Mishra. "The classes will have blackboards, and laptops will be given to teachers to help inmates gain basic knowledge of computers," Mishra said. Under the first phase of Shiksha Plus, 90 inmates were educated last year. "It will be the ongoing digital education atmosphere on the Kaushambi jail campus," he added. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now More inmates will be covered under the digital training programme in the future. Jail authorities said they have also set up a library for inmates who want to pursue graduation and post-graduation courses. The library has a collection of over 600 books on all subjects from primary to post-graduation. "This will go a long way in ensuring proper rehabilitation of inmates," Mishra added. The Shiksha Plus campaign is an adult literacy programme run by the Shiv Nadar Foundation. It focuses on teaching basic literacy skills – reading, writing, and arithmetic – to adults who have missed out on formal education, particularly those over 15 years old. The programme utilizes an ICT-based methodology to deliver its curriculum and has been implemented in various settings, including rural communities and even jails.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The parts I play are main characters: Shefali Shah
Growing up, Shefali Shah thought the most she could aspire to be was an air hostess. Today, with over 25 films under her belt (from Monsoon Wedding to Gandhi, My Father and Three of Us), and some hard-hitting TV shows — let's not forget the 2023 International Emmy award nomination for best actress for Delhi Crime — Shah says she is 'happiest on set'. The versatile actor was in Chennai last weekend for Ignition, a platform created by philanthropic organisation Shiv Nadar Foundation to explore history, education, and society. In her conversation with journalist and host Shoma Chaudhury, Shah frankly discussed how she started her career with theatre, why she will never play Akshay Kumar's mother again, and how the 'parts that she plays are main characters'. With the much-awaited Delhi Crime season 3 in the offing, The Hindu caught up with her to discuss films and understand how she finds silence in her characters. Edited excerpts: If you could revisit a character, which one would it be? Delhi Crime is the strongest one. In a film, to tell the entire story, you only have three hours. But in a series, you have eight episodes to build a whole person. There are challenges with it, but it is more exciting. Vartika is terrific. She is a no-nonsense person, and has a lot of empathy. Everyone thought that Nirbhaya was a personal case for her, which it was. But she takes every case personally, and that's why she's hell-bent on solving it. She is [also] very smart to understand her team's strength and work accordingly. I think she is very nuanced, and I had the time to create her. Most actors work towards finding a character's voice, but what does it take to find a character's silence? I genuinely feel that we have the luxury of a camera that can catch the smallest nuance. If you can say something in two words, don't use four sentences. If you can say something in silence, there is nothing that speaks louder than that. It's all caught [on camera]. I feel that there is a lot of power there. What kind of projects have followed 'Three of Us'? There is a lot of women-centric stuff happening. Often, when one thing takes off, everyone comes to you with similar projects. I shot for Delhi Crime's season three last year. I also shot for the film Hisaab, directed by Vipul Shah. It's a heist, and pretty funny. I take up something if I am completely blown away or affected deeply. A lot of times, I just end up saying no. Shefali's viewing list I watch a lot. I am inclined towards thrillers and human drama, but I am okay with anything that leaves an impact. Let's begin with some series: Adolescence, Chernobyl, When They See Us, Fleabag, and Gaslight. There is an old film too on my list, Steel Magnolias — as all the women characters are fantastic. Films such as Bahubali, Kantara, and Mani Ratnam's works have blown my mind; works of Vidya Balan such as Tumhari Sulu or Dirty Picture. Even [Sanjay Leela Bhasali's] Gangubai. There is so much amazing work happening. Which films, according to you, have best portrayed flawed women? Everyone is flawed in their own way. Vartika is not perfect; she has her own flaws. Shamshunissa [a character from Darling] is terribly flawed, but very unapologetic about it. And rightfully so. Dirty Picture, Disclaimer [a miniseries starring Cate Blanchett], and even Lipstick Under My Burkha [have flawed women]. According to society, they are completely messed up. But even otherwise, they have their own flaws. That is the beauty of humans. It's the rugged edge that makes them so interesting.
