A surprise was in store for Coimbatore District Collector G.S. Sameeran when he visited the Coimbatore Central Prison to take part in the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaram Pillai on Sunday.
After the function was over, G. Shanmuga Sundaram, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Prisons (Coimbatore range), presented Mr. Sameeran a special gift – a portrait of him drawn by a convict.
Mr. Sameeran, who was surprised by the unique gift, took to Twitter to share his excitement.
“Visited Coimbatore Central Prison today and it was a pleasant surprise to receive my profile sketch done by one of the ex-inmate of the prison, Mr. BILLA. Such a talented artist he is..I wish to meet him and thank him one day,” the Collector tweeted along with the photo of him receiving the portrait from prison authorities.
C. Billa (31), who had been serving life term in the prison, drew the portrait before he was shifted to the Salem Central Prison on August 20.
The convict wanted to gift the portrait to the Collector on a previous occasion. However, it did not materialise, said G.B. Senthamaraikannan, Superintendent of the Central Prison.
“Billa and a few other convicts showed keen interest in painting. They proved their talent by beautifying several walls on the campus,” said Mr. Senthamaraikannan.
A prison official said that Billa, a native of Namagiripettai near Rasipuram in Namakkal district, learnt the basics of drawing from a co-prisoner. He was lodged in Coimbatore Central Prison for about three years before he was shifted to Salem.
Published - September 05, 2021 11:28 pm IST
