Sirai Gaana, the musical novel on prison life

CHENNAI: Inside the obscurity of the dark pitted prison walls of the Tiruchy Central Prison, lay Ravivarman, patiently awaiting death to envelop his harrowing life, which had little stories of virtue.

“The doors of the prison were half my height. I was tormented by the officers there, who would undress me and beat me. Unable to sleep at nights, I would ruminate about the agony of separation from my family,” he reminisces.

An arbitrary fight, with impulse rage, resulted in murder, which sent Ravivarman to 10 years behind bars. After his failed attempt on taking his own life, Ravivarman was moved into an isolated cell without windows, where even his reflection failed to keep him company.

“The solitude depressed me. Mental health counselors were called in due to my constant attempt to self-harm. I expected them to be the ear to my pain, but they said I should have killed myself right after I had committed the murder,” he says.

As days passed by, Ravivarman started to mingle with the other inmates, humming familiar tunes. He also started writing poetry, singing it to them and riveting the officers in-charge.

“As an ardent fan of Ilaiyaraaja, singing his tunes was my only comforting pill inside the prison,” he says.

Years later in 2021, after his release on the basis of good behaviour, the ex-convict went to meet Anis, a film director who had formed a group called Prison Theatre, by gathering a few skilful prison musicians like Ravivarman.

“Ayya Vaanga” (Please come in sir), called out Anis when Ravivarman came to Chennai to meet the director and build a new life. He hoped for the world to see the improved man that he had become.

Sirai Gaana is a musical ensemble Anis founded, which represents a commitment to the transformative potential of art. A musical band comprising former convicts who have discovered their passion for music, it has taken the stage on numerous occasions, offering captivating performances that not only showcase their talent, but also emphasise the inherent capacity of art to inspire and heal.

“During the early 2000s, when I was in New Delhi to direct a theatre play, I was introduced to the prison theatre concept. A famous theatre personality from Bengaluru had staged a play with the inmates from the Bengaluru Central Prison, the Central Jail of Mysuru, and the Bellary Jail. It was an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth,” Anis starts to chronicle.

The performance moved the director to ponder over the prodigious talent a prison inmate may possess, which gets locked behind the cold, metal bars.

Prison is a place for punishment, but with the introduction of theatre, it became a turning point in the lives of the inmates, giving them a purpose to life. This inspired Anis to build something similar back in Tamil Nadu.

Dhamu, who is now a singer for Sirai Gaana, his story begins from when he was lodged in Cuddalore Central Prison in 1998. He recollects his first morning in the prison, when he woke up thinking he was at the comfort of his home, not wanting to accept the stark reality of his life.

'When the Puzhal Central Prison was opened in 2007, I was shifted there,” Dhamu says. In 2016, Anis visited Puzhal jail for the first time to perform a play, where he worked with the convicts for 60 days. “The play had 25 inmates performing. Though there were many activities for the inmates, art enthralled them all,” he states.

Anis, who is also the director of Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah, a 2014 Tamil-language romance film, makes frequent visits to the jail, where he conducts workshops on literature, art and music.

On one of his visits to the music workshops guided by composer Ghibran, he discovered the inmates’ musical capabilities.

“Since my early years, music has fascinated me. I used to sing gaana occasionally during my prison days. There were music classes which we were allowed to take, where I started practising,” says Dhamu. He also completed his Bachelor of Arts in History during his time behind bars.

The tale of Manikandan, who is now an auto driver, affectionately known as Sirai Gaana Mani, is no different. Charged with murder in 2001, he was sentenced in 2004.

“Fifteen years of imprisonment changed my life. But it is where I met Anis, who trained me for theatre and also aided me to work towards a hopeful horizon. Giving me my first moment to hold a mic, he also offered me a chance to act and sing for his film, Pagaivanuku Arulvai,” Manikandan explains.

Gaana is ingrained in the identity of Chennai, sung by people to express their happiness and grief. Anis had witnessed the same inside the prison walls.

“During the workshops, many inmates sang gaana criticising prison life. Their songs had lyrics drawing attention to being a responsible citizen, abiding by the laws. They also highlighted the bright side of prison life, calling it an institution of knowledge,” Anis says.

He opines the prisoners right to sing gaana, stating, “There are many writers, sculptors, orators and artists within those walls. I have seen people from different walks of life there. I wanted to change the perspective of how people view prisons.”

The director’s search for hope and transformation of prisoners, bounded the paths of Manikandan, Dhamu, drummer and tabla player Charles, and keyboardist Venkatesan, who were serving sentence for more than 10 years, and were released between 2019 and 2020, owing to late chief minister MG Ramachandran’s 100th birth anniversary.

The director has used the concept of applied theatre to shape social change.

“Erwadi in Ramanathapuram had an Islamic spiritual space, which had mentally ill people kept inside a tent, to offer spiritual therapy. After the 2001 fire accident which killed 28 of the mentally-ill people who were tied to chains, the then government wanted to bring awareness on mental health through plays,” Anis says.

Assigned the task, the filmmaker conducted 170 shows across the district. “I learnt a lot about the nuances of mental health during that period. I used the play as a tool to identify those who needed help and guide them. The plays had the power to heal,” adds Anis, who went on to conduct plays and work with the children at the juvenile prison.

“People say there is hell or heaven awaiting us after death. But if there is hell on earth, it is the prison. The one who changed that hell for us is Anis. It is impossible for society to see the transformation; all that they see is what we used to be,” narrates Dhamu. After 18 years of imprisonment, Dhamu has now got a second chance in life in the form of Sirai Gaana.