By Bhupinder
In the context of spiritual growth during festivities, the concept of Uppo Deepo Bhav, often summarized by the phrase Uppo Deepo Bhava, plays a significant role.
The Buddha under the Peepal Tree
It was the winter of 1994. Ms. Kiran Bedi was then Inspector General (Prisons). She announced that she would be bringing a Senator from Singapore to visit Central Jail No. 3, to showcase the newly established higher education programme in collaboration with IGNOU.
I was then serving as Deputy Superintendent, CJ-3. To mark the occasion, an inmate artist sculpted a Buddha statue from cement and iron rods. The statue was molded underground. It was left to harden for days before being unearthed, shaped, and smoothed.
On the eve of the Senator’s visit, the entire team — staff and inmates together — worked until 2:30 AM. The Buddha was installed beneath a vast peepal tree along the entry route.
A bold inscription was carved at its base: ‘Uppo Deepo Bhav’ — Be a Light to Yourself.
By dawn, painted in white enamel, it shone serene and timeless. At 7:30 AM, the Senator and Dr. Bedi inaugurated the sculpture. The Senator called it an ‘auspicious occasion.’ Since then, the Buddha has stood there. It inspires countless inmates with its quiet dignity.
The Change of an Era in Tihar
In 1980–81, Tihar Jail began its shift from Punjab/Haryana control to Delhi’s own cadre. I was among the first batch of seven Assistant Superintendents recruited for Delhi Administration.
In those days, the Superintendent’s post was the sole senior position. The DC of Delhi was Ex-Officio IG (Prisons), and the ADM (HQ) doubled as DIG (Jails). Tihar operated under the Prisons Act of 1894 and the Punjab Jail Manual of 1900. This continued until the Delhi Prison Manual was introduced in 1988. Much later, the Delhi Prison Act was passed in 2000.
The First Casualty (1983)
In July 1983, then Home Minister Zail Singh made a surprise evening visit. At 8:30 PM, he found a prisoner in Ward 14 loitering in an inebriated state, even offering him a drink. Both the Assistant Superintendent and Ward In-charge were immediately suspended. It was a stern reminder: in Tihar, accountability would be unforgiving.
The Turning Point — Charles Sobhraj’s Escape (1986)
On 16th March 1986, a Sunday, I was on duty at CJ-1 when an extraordinary event unfolded. Prison staff reported incoherently: ‘Nikal gaye, bhag gaye.’
Charles Sobhraj, along with six others, had escaped from CJ-3 by drugging staff with sweets laced with intoxicants. The Tamil Nadu Special Police guards were found unconscious; rifles lay beside them.
The prison was locked down, counts taken, agencies alerted. Later, several officers were arrested under suspicion of negligence or complicity. That day changed the culture of vigilance in Tihar forever.
B.S. Jarial Stadium (1993–94)
During a rain-disrupted music programme in 1993, inmates ran for cover. The lack of a dedicated cultural space became glaring.
The following Sunday, I sketched plans for a stadium. I performed bhumi-pujan with an inmate priest. Construction began with inmates through shram-daan and salvaged materials. Staff and inmates donated cement, bricks, tiles, and labor.
Within months, the stadium took shape. Visitors like Naseeruddin Shah praised the initiative. Finally, on 6th December 1994, Dr. Kiran Bedi named it the B.S. Jarial Stadium, inaugurated by Sports Minister Mukul Wasnik, dedicating it to the inmates.
The Second Stadium — CJ-1 (1998)
Later, in CJ-1, an abandoned farm area was converted into a cricket and football ground. Old 1953 bricks unearthed during digging were used in construction. Again, it was built not with government funds, but with inmate effort and public goodwill.
By 1998, the ground had capacity for 3,000. Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma inaugurated it, praising the initiative. Later, during my tenure as Superintendent (2006), inmates participated in exhibition matches. They played with visiting national cricketers like Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan.
Innovation and Reform
– Solar Water Heating (1994–95): A system was installed in CJ-1’s kitchen, saving fuel and becoming a model of sustainability.
– Water Harvesting (2003): In CJ-4, the largest and most overcrowded jail, water-harvesting projects were initiated to address chronic shortages.
Reflections
Buddha’s serene statue is under the peepal tree. The roar of cricket matches fills a prisoner-built stadium. Tihar’s story is one of resilience and reform. It is born not from funds, but from faith, imagination, and human dignity.
The motto carved into that first statue still echoes:
‘Be your own light.’