Jhumur songs of Purulia, rooted in the oral traditions of the Chotonagpur Plateau, reflect the struggles, joys, and resistance of tribal communities, especially women. More than love songs, they speak of poverty, labour, and inequality, while also celebrating nature and fertility. These living traditions serve as archives of memory, blending Santali, Kurmali, and Bengali influences. They provide historians with voices from the periphery, preserving cultural resistance and eve

Drawing on Angela Davis’s abolitionist framework, this article critiques the prison-industrial complex as a system rooted in racism and structural violence. It proposes a two-part solution: addressing pre-crime social inequalities and adopting restorative justice. Emphasising mutual obligations between offenders and communities, it advocates alternatives to punitive incarceration to achieve genuine accountability and long-term societal reintegration.

1. Introduction “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied”[i] - William E. Gladstone. India’s judiciary has been referred to as a “beacon of...