Adam Tebbe reports on the Vipassana meditation technique being initiated in Indian schools and prisons.
Photo by Swaminathan
Government officials in Maharashtra, India, may be practicing Vipassana meditation as part of their job criteria soon. Chief Secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad believes that this undertaking would increase worker efficiency in the government. Additionally, Gaikwad is recommending the Vipassana meditation technique for schools and prisons. Such programs have been featured in the documentary film Doing Time, Doing Vipassana.
A government resolution has already been passed that will allow government workers to take leave to participate in a 10-day Vipassana course. Next month the home department will also begin a pilot program at jails in Toloja and Nashik, offering inmates Vipassana and meditation classes. If the pilot is successful, these courses will be implemented in all prisons in the state.
Offering a rationale for his decision, Gaikwad stated, “Convicts accumulate [a lot] of negative energy during his stay in the jail. Mediation helps the prisoner to overcome the negative energy and generate positive energy.”
Read the full story at the Times of India here.
