Surat: 20-year-old Kundan Chaudhary never imagined he would get a second chance to complete his Class 10 board exams after dropping out six years ago to support his family. An unforeseen turn of events landed him in Lajpore jail along with his younger brother, Anshu Chaudhary (18), in May last year. Today, the siblings are appearing for their board exams with encouragement and support from jail authorities.Kundan, who had discontinued his studies after Class 9, is now taking his Class 10 exams as an undertrial. His younger brother Anshu, meanwhile, is appearing for Class 12 and has been helping Kundan with his preparations. The two are among 21 inmates — including 13 undertrials — appearing for board exams at Lajpore jail.Originally from Bihar but brought up in Surat’s Dindoli area, Kundan studied in Hindi medium until Class 9 before taking up jobs at a courier company and a furniture workshop to support his family.“After coming to jail in May, the authorities counselled me about completing my Class 10 certification. Since many jobs require a Class 10 qualification, I decided to take the opportunity. Maths is my favourite subject, and I hope to score around 70%,” he said.Anshu, who came to jail after clearing Class 11, said preparing for the exams has brought the brothers closer. “We hadn’t spent much time together over the past few years as Kundan was working. Over the last 10 months, studying together has strengthened our bond. After coming here, I understood the importance of education. I plan to complete my graduation and pursue further studies. I am confident of scoring around 80%, with geography as my favourite subject,” he said.Shripal Shesma, superintendent of Lajpore Central Jail, said the jail runs a school where inmates receive six hours of daily instruction. “We inform inmates about board and graduation exams through personal visits to barracks and through ‘Radio Prison’. Each student is provided textbooks and a dedicated barrack environment for exam preparation. We also encourage them to participate in various welfare activities and programmes,” he said.Once illiterate, inmate now eyes first class in board examsFiroz Tumda (24), a tribal inmate from Kaparada in Valsad district serving a life sentence, was illiterate when he entered Lajpore jail. “My parents were labourers, and due to poor financial conditions, I could not continue my studies. When I came to jail, I could barely write my name,” he said.Tumda enrolled in the jail’s literacy classes in Oct 2024. After learning to read and write, his teacher encouraged him to prepare for the board examinations. “For the past eight months, I have worked hard on my studies. I am confident of securing a first class, with Gujarati as my favourite subject. I am grateful to the jail authorities for helping rebuild my life. I plan to complete my graduation and take up a job in the future,” he added.
