A PRISON CUM HOTEL- FICTION OR REALITY?

A prison by whatever name one calls it, invariably evokes scare and dread among laymen because of its association with criminals and under trials. Probably brutality stories emanating from some of the major prisons in the county have further brought down the image of prisons among citizens. In spite of many developments that attempted to modernize the prison system in India and many other countries, this stark image of prisons is unlikely to fade away so easily. It is not that convicted prisoners with brutal crimes behind them should be housed in air-conditioned cells with all modern facilities including high class foods but still their basic essential needs ought to be met to lead a normal healthy life within the precincts of the prison. It is against this context that recent reports from Kerala high lighting the development of some prisons into good quality catering units must be appreciated.

China is the country which perfected the "art" or better call it the "practice" to use forcefully prisoner population for productive work, turning out cheap consumer products benefiting the society at large. Of course the human right activists frown upon such practices but honestly there should be no bar for utilizing the manpower in the prisons for useful purpose, the only rider being that there should not be any physical torture for forcing them to do work. There are many countries where reformist seal is perceptible when prisoners are motivated to better their education and skill though appropriate facilities and conducive environment. In some countries many convicted prisoners for mild law violations are given social work as punishment with minimum restriction on their movements. Probably open prison system that is being propounded for long may not be realistic in the near future though working for that goal is admirable.

Every country is faced with the dilemma as to what to do with its prisoners who form substantial numbers in countries like India, China, Indonesia, Brazil etc because they form a population whose productivity potential is locked up and they are not provided with another opportunity to prove that they have really been transformed. If capital punishment is banished all over the world as being propounded by the United Nations, the alternative option of life imprisonment punishment will contribute to increased prison population in the coming years. A global consensus on prison reforms can unleash a force that can be harnessed for the welfare of the very society against whom the culprits have committed the crime. Probably innovative ideas like prison schools and universities, captive training units and such knowledge upgrading schemes can go a long way in reforming most criminals.

One of the objections to engage the prison population for manufacturing and other activities involved in value addition services is that they are paid very little compared to regular industrial labor. Probably this can be tackled by evolving a wage computing system that will be equitable in nature. The cost of facilities for housing and managing the prisoners can be deducted from the standard wage due to them and rest can be credited to the account of the prisoner for eventual withdrawal at the time of discharge. This will hopefully give the prisoner enough motivation to behave in an exemplary manner earning money as well as commutation of the sentence for good behavior. Of course the issue is not as simple as one thinks and lot of scientific, psychological, managerial, social and logistical inputs are necessary for evolving a workable and equitable prisoner rehabilitation program.    

Taking the example of the Central Prison, Poojappura, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, it is remarkable that this dreaded prison has improved its image significantly during the last few months through its reformist agenda and is no more a place which the public do not like to enter. This is thanks to the food items being prepared and offered to the public utilizing modern facilities in its kitchen. It may be recalled that late last year this "Prison" started selling chapathi from its kitchen and public seems to have been bowled over by this offering with the items sold off in no time! Now comes the news that the Prison has added to its portfolio of products items like Idli, vegetable curry, chicken curry which too have become "hot" items gobbled up by the public! Probably the initial incentive must be the relatively low prices at which their items are sold compared to public restaurants in the town. During the last two years food preparations in hotels and restaurants have seen a price escalation of 100-150% with no rhyme or reason and Kerala is always considered as a price sensitive state with the consumers fiercely resisting such artificial inflationary tendencies.

Imagine a Prison selling 50000 chapathi packets, 8000 Idlis, 4000 chicken curries and 2500 vegetable curries a day! during the last one year the prison department is reported to have contributed about Rs 35 million to the Exchequer through its food selling program! Interestingly the products are not promoted commercially unlike other public restaurants and selling is done through two outlets, one in front of the Central Prison and the other in front of Women's Prison nearby, besides four mobile outlets. talking about mobile outlets, one is reminded of the Food Truck movement in the US which has become a craze in that country in no time and credit must go Kerala for experimenting (or introducing first time in the country) with mobile catering units almost similar to Food Trucks in the US. It will be interesting to study how the prison department is managing this" extra curricular" activity in spite of its heavy burden in administering the regular responsibilities of managing the prison system as a whole. May be a fit subject for the business schools in the country to take up this "phenomenon" for management case studies. How about other prisons in within the state and outside to follow the lead given by the Central Prison in Thiruvananthapuram? Why not?

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

  

GOOD OLD "ATTA"-FACING THE MIGHT OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY

Atta is the ground product from whole wheat used extensively in preparing many food articles in India. By far the single largest use is in making Roti or Chapati or other products which are staple items in the diet of a majority of Indians. If multinational giants are in the Atta business, it is due to the extreme popularity of this milled product amongst the Indian consumers. It is another matter that entry of these large companies has pushed up the price to unimaginable levels during the past 2-3 years. Branded Atta to day costs more than double the price of the raw wheat and urban consumers have no alternate choice but to buy these products for their daily subsistence.

In western countries the concept of Atta was practically non-existent as most of the wheat products like pasta, bread, biscuits and many others are based on milled, refined flour containing no bran or germ, the most nutritious part of the grain. The sophisticated milling technology developed in the West based on automated roller flour milling concept has spawned large capacity plants with through put as high as 2000-3000 tons per day. The by-products like bran and germ go for compounded animal feeds. In contrast, Indian families had perfected manual process of grinding wheat grains into whole grain flour which preserved the characteristic aroma and taste of wheat. The historic "Atta Chakki" which once was an integral part of Indian family traditions, are disappearing fast from the landscape of the country for want of clientele which has switched over to branded Atta during the last one decade.

Atta Chakki or the stone mill or the plate mill as it is known amongst food technologists was originally based on revolving granite discs with a gap for feeding wheat grain and flours of any fineness can be obtained by adjusting the gap. Cast iron discs replaced the granite ones with more efficient grinding and through put capacities. Attempts by the organized flour mill industry to by-pass the Chakki ground Atta by mixing the bran fraction from the roller flour mill with refined white flour were doomed to failure and Atta Chakki survived. Adopting the strategy that "join the adversary if you cannot beat hm" larger Chakkis were designed by the organized milling industry for use along with the standard pre-cleaning and post-grinding facilities of their flour mills to manufacture Atta similar to Chakki ground Atta. Traditional Chakki stood the test of time and it is unlikely that any alternative will ever be found for this ubiquitous contraption of yesteryear.

Why is that Atta from Chakki rules supreme in India, able to beat back the onslaught of the modern technological prowess as represented by the Roller Flour Mills of sleek and elegant design? There is scientific basis for this phenomenon. One of the basic factors that puts Chakki Atta above modern white flour is the temperature generated in plate mills which cause "desirable" changes in the starch granules in the grain contributing to better quality roti in terms of aroma and eating pleasure. Besides its nutritional superiority in terms of high dietary fiber, higher Vitamin E content and minerals, Chakki Atta has more appealing flavor and sweeter taste due to the roasting effect and carotenoid content in whole flour. Even to day many house holds in Northern parts of the country buy high quality raw wheat based on their experience from the market, wash it clean with water, dry under the sun and take to the nearest Chakki facility to grind into Atta of desired fineness. One of the problems associated with whole wheat flour is its limited shelf life due to presence of high lipase germ fraction causing rancidity but traditionally only limited quantity of wheat is milled, just sufficient for a few days without causing any spoilage.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com