On 16th August, the USM members along with Sr. Sheela Furtado, the headmistress, Sr. Rexela Kharjia, Sr. Shanti Fernandes and teachers Sangeeta and Margaret went to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with the inmates of Yerwada Jail, Pune. The USM students staged a programme and they tied rakhis to the fellow brothers. They then distributed ladoos to them. The inmates were touched by their gestures and many wept. It was indeed a very touching scene.
The USM members then moved to the Remand Home, where boys from the age of 18 to 21 are in custody. They have completed their term but have no one to take care of them and some of them have been abandoned by their families. The Prison Ministry of Pune sponsors for these boys’ education so that they are prepared to stand on their own feet and after the age of 21 can support themselves.
The students conducted a prayer moment and staged a programme. They tied rakhis to them and distributed sweets. One of the inmates responded to our kind gesture by singing a very touching song. (I have no sister but today I have found many sisters, I want to give them something but I can’t give as my pockets are torn). Another inmate remarked, “Our Didi who looks after us has been tying rakhis all these years. This is the first time we have had sisters who have come to tie rakhi for us.” They had a dance session on the famous song ‘ Zingat’. The Sisters and students thanked Fr Wilfred, director of Prison Ministry of Pune for making it possible to visit the Yerwada Jail.
