Puducherry prison uses dance therapy to rehabilitate inmates

Prisoners in the central jail in the Indian union territory of Puducherry briefly forget their worries when they start dancing.

The "dance therapy" is part of a rehabilitation programme offered to them by prison authorities.

It's an unconventional option - many Indian prisons are grim, overcrowded and violent spaces that offer few opportunities for inmates to rebuild their lives.

But Puducherry prison officials say the programme is a hit with prisoners - who are all serving life sentences - and that there is a visible reduction in their stress levels.

Ravideep Singh Chahar, Inspector General of prisons in Puducherry, says they now hope to make dance therapy an integral part of the prison reform programme.

Video by BBC Tamil's Natarajan Sundar; edited by Debalin Roy