'Even Maoist prisoners take interest in the activities. We have seen a remarkable change in the mindset of prisoners,' Vidyarthi said.

Prem Lal Toppo, another convict who has taken a keen interest in painting, is a resident of Gumla district. He was brought to the Ranchi central jail after being convicted for murder.

Most of his paintings reflect the theme of AIDS.

'I learnt painting after coming to jail in February last year. When I am released from jail, I will take up painting full time,' Toppo said.

Prasad said: 'It was a tough job to train them (prisoners). Many of them did not know the basics of painting. Many of them did not know how to handle the brush and how to use paint and colours. After one year there has been a marked improvement.'

The jail administration has also tied up with the Chhotanagpur Art Research and Development Society to use the talent of the prisoners after they are released from jail.

In a move to encourage prisoners to adopt painting as a medium of livelihood the jail administration organised a five-day painting exhibition last month in the Ranchi University campus.

Around 130 paintings were displayed and nearly 30 of them were sold for prices ranging between Rs.500 and Rs.2,000.

(Nityanand Shukla can be contacted at nityanand.s@ians.in)