India, Nov. 14 -- "Madam, main teen number barrack mein rehta hoon. Aapka barrack kaun sa hai?" (Ma'am, I am lodged in barrack number 3. Which barrack are you in?) "Aaj toh meri mummy ki zamanat ho jayegi aur hum chale jayenge." (My mom is set to get bail today, so we will be free.) "Didi, canteen se mujhe red papad mangwa do." (Sister, please fetch me red poppadom from the canteen.)

These questions come from children who have committed no offence, yet grow up behind prison walls with their incarcerated mothers. According to National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) Prison Statistics India 2024, more than 1,300 children live in Indian prisons with their mothers. They may stay until the age of six. But what does a child see, hear and learn i...