Zindanama

Unforgettable works are born in prisons. The imposed isolation often acts as a positive catalysis (stimulus) for creativity. This is exactly what happened in the case of emerging writers like Seema Azad and Vishwavijay. In their prison diaries, more than an exposition of oppression, there is an analytical description of the human emotions that continued to flow even inside the jail—life proved stronger than the prison.—Lal Bahadur Verma, renowned historian. Those who dedicate their lives to a larger cause are not shaken by the cruelty of power and the system, no matter how threatening it becomes. Because their strength lies in this conviction: “The masses have always tangled with tyranny, neither their ways are new, nor ours— We have always made flowers of fire bloom, neither their defeat is new, nor our victory.” Seema and Vishwavijay’s prison diaries are also a reflection of this very self-confidence. Every page of the diary affirms the truth that while a person can be imprisoned, their thoughts cannot be. Thoughts, like air, continue to circulate—fragrant with firm resolve.—Rajendra Kumar, President, Jan Sanskriti Manch