Hate the sin, love the sinner,’ said Mahatma Gandhi. It is in line with this belief that one organization in Maharashtra is trying to reform jail inmates by conducting Gandhi Peace Exams based on Gandhian philosophy.
“Hate the sin, love the sinner,” Mahatma Gandhi once said. Today, these words are breathing new life into Maharashtra’s prisons, where an extraordinary initiative is reshaping the lives of inmates. Gandhi Peace Exam is a unique program conducted by Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal – a charitable trust devoted to spreading Gandhian values. Since 2004, the organization has been holding these exams in Mumbai Central Jail, offering inmates a chance at reflection, repentance, and reformation.
Laxman Gole, a former Mumbai gangster convicted in 2005 for multiple crimes. After spending months in prison, Gole penned a heartfelt confession to the judge overseeing his case, admitting his wrongdoings and vowing never to stray again. Impressed by his sincerity, the court reduced his sentence, and by 2008, Gole walked out—not just a free man, but a transformed one.
Gandhi peace exam
The Peace Exams are no ordinary tests. Before inmates take them, the Mandal holds orientation sessions on Gandhi’s life, philosophy, and principles of truth and non-violence. Inmates who volunteer are provided books in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati, which they study for about 20 days. The final exam consists of 80 objective-type questions. To date, more than 10,000 prisoners at Mumbai Central Jail alone have taken part, with similar efforts spreading to jails in Nagpur, Nashik, Ratnagiri, Osmanabad, Yavatmal, and beyond.
Beyond prisons, the Mandal also organizes Peace Exams in schools and colleges, alongside seminars, workshops, and book centres to foster Gandhian thought among the public. Its vision remains clear: not merely punishing wrongdoers, but preparing them to rejoin society with dignity and purpose.
In Maharashtra’s prisons today, that second chance comes through the pages of Gandhi’s philosophy—one exam at a time.
(This article has been curated with the help of AI)