he old man wants me to lift him on my shoulder. The mountains' high, I just can't seem to reach. I wish I'd, Fly away." For most of us, these lines from a song by Delhi-based band Menwhopause may mean nothing. But for the inmates of Tihar Jail, they meant an escape from the despondency of their lives inside prison.

On Wednesday, Flying Souls, comprising eight inmates of the largest prison in South Asia, took to a make-shift stage on the grounds of Jail No. 7 and jammed with Menwhopause, one of India's most loved bands. The session was enthusiastically attended by about a thousand prisoners, who clapped, hummed and even danced to the songs of the night. "The idea came up while we were passing Tihar Jail one day and thought, 'Hey, it will be cool to play there'," guitarist Anup Kutty says. They met the DIG, sent him a CD of their songs, and were ready to perform inside the premises within the week. "We then went on a guided tour of the jail and chanced upon a few prisoners singing and playing instruments in the music room of Jail No. 2, which is meant for serious offenders. That's when we decided to take our association with Tihar a step forward and hold a workshop with these inmates," Kutty says.

Inmates and members of the band PHOTO: Lakshman Anand

A 20-day workshop saw Menwhopause members spending a few hours every day with the band in Tihar. They taught Flying Souls two of their original compositions, Fly Away and Free, and composed another with the inmates. Sunil Gupta, PRO of Tihar Jail, says, "We organise music competitions, sports days and similar events every year so prisoners can use their energy positively. Now with the success of this collaboration, we plan to organise such gigs on a larger scale in other jails and invite various famous bands and artists."

Menwhopause Bassist Randeep Singh says the gig was a different but fulfilling experience. I used to joke about going to jail "but once I was there, it felt nice to show the inmates some hope and positivity through music", he says.