India, a billion people in a country full of contradictions and contrasts. With many living impressions we returned from our three-week stay in the Indian metropolises Bangalore and Pune.
With 24 persons we started our journey in the South Indian Bangalore where we were greeted by Mr. H.T. Sangliana, the Inspector General of Police in the State Karnataka. For the fourth time we visited the "Karnataka Alliance Mission" (KSM) and its founder and leader Rev. B.D. Immanuel, who had prepared a full programme for us.
We had meetings in seven prisons, eight schools and universities as well as in twelve churches. With our choir we practiced songs in different languages as well as instrumental numbers and skits. So we could offer a colourful programme and could talk about the love and forgiveness of God.
During earlier visits we already experienced that open prison doors cannot be taken for granted: After repeated conversations with responsible persons we could contribute that Indian prisons 1995 opened themselves for voluntary groups from outside. Since then, KSM-staff-members and voluntaries regularly visit prisons in Karnataka, too. Also ex-prisoners and former drug-addicts belonged to our group, whose personal testimonies gained a lot of attention, especially in the prisons.
The meetings in schools and universities had a preventive character. We experienced that a considerable number of young Indians had drug experiences. In personal conversations with Indian students we noticed a change of a traditional, family oriented Indian attitude to life to a rather individualistic western lifestyle.
In our church programmes we particularly encouraged the various congregations to take up the challenge of a voluntary engagement in the prisons. At the end of our stay in Banga-lore we conducted a seminar to the topic "Voluntary engagement in prisons", which found a great interest. The willingness of the Christian churches and their members to be in-volved has given a new dimension for the prison ministry in Bangalore. A follow-up-seminar has already taken place.
Following the time in Bangalore a one-week stay in Pune followed with similar activities. The programme there was prepared by our further partner organization CPM (Crossroads Prison Ministries) under the guidance of its chairman Arthur Prem.
However, our group didn’t bring back only many impressions but also something to work from India. During conversations with representatives of Penal System and Prison Minis-tries different common programmes were planed: The German seminar-course for "Volun-tary Prison Ministry" shall be published in English language and will be made available to our Indian partner organizations.
Study stays in Germany as well as the participation on international conferences shall be made possible for responsible persons of the Indian penal system and the Prison Ministries in cooperation with the German penal system administrations. In a pilot scheme ten pris-oners to be released from the open jail in Pune are provided with a basic equipment of tools which shall enable them to build up an economically independent existence. Then they are accompanied by the Indian partner organization CPM over a period of six months.
There is a great openness of the Indian penal system for activities from outside. However, at the same time this positive surprise is a great challenge, too. We are grateful that the KSM, the CPM and many friends in India are going to meet this challenge.

From the clink to the pulpit
How much an engagement for a single person can be worth-while, we experienced on the last day of our journey: We were invited for dinner by Rev. Ohm Prakash Kevaley and his family in Mumbai (Bombay). More than 10 years ago the young Indian was arrested for 3 ½ years in the prison of Remscheid in Germany and took part there in our contact group in that prison. By the conversations he came into a deep inner contemplation and found forgiveness of his guilt and new hope for his life in the relationship to Jesus Christ. After his release from prison he moved into a community-home of Crossroads for one year. When Ohm Prakash then had to leave Germany due to a deportation disposal, he didn’t see any perspectives in his country of origin: His family being from the Brahman caste rejected him. At first he was received by our friends in Bombay and later he graduated from his theology studies on "Union Biblical Seminary" in Pune. Today the father of a family works as pastor of a church in Bombay.