When I mentioned the word “BARS” in the title, most
of us might have thought this article to be about the experiences in prison.
But I have thought to use this word for a place that means a lot to me in my
life. It is not a place for criminals but a place for someone who often misuses
the freedom that they have in their life. This is about my experience in the
Rehabilitation Center, which changed my perspective on life. There are a series
of events that I will discuss in this article on the days I have spent in the
Rehabilitation center. Hundreds of books and articles have been published on
the experiences in Prison, but I think this is one of the most untouched
experiences that people will ever share with someone. 4 years passed, but
remembering those days still makes my eyes filled with tears.
I still remember waking up early morning after a
friend of mine informed me that a few people arrived at my home and that I
would be finally able to meet my love for whom I waited 6 months. I jumped off
my bed took bath and dressed up in the hope of meeting her. I rushed to meet
those people who were supposed to take me to meet her. Now, let me tell you
briefly about the background of what I have written here. I was in love with a
girl during my college days for 2 years and unfortunately, she stopped
contacting me saying that she no longer loves me. But I was not ready to accept
it and wanted to meet her to know the truth, assuming that it must be a
conspiracy by her parents or my parents against our relationship. I got into
habits of drinking alcohol and smoking weed, but I couldn`t get relief from the
suffering I had inside. One night I got into an argument with my parents for
not allowing me to meet my love, which resulted in to fight with the people I
loved the most. The next day I woke up with a hope to meet my love, but I ended
up in a Rehabilitation centre.
The day I went to
the Rehabilitation Centre
It was a cold morning; I was informed that a few
people had come to take me to meet my love. I jumped into the vehicle and was
very happy. But soon I figured out that I was taken on the wrong path. On
questioning them, they informed me that she was waiting for me in a place. I
believed in them and sat quietly and curious to meet her. It was not too late
when the vehicle entered a random house and they asked me to come out of the
vehicle. I was very confused to see some youths and also some adult people
looking at me with curiosity. I entered the house and suddenly, the main gate
of the house along with the main gate of the campus was locked from the inside.
It didn`t take long to realize that something was wrong with me. I ran and
tried to break the lock with my hand and injured myself in the process. Then
the security guards arrived and picked me up to the room, which was not easy
since I resisted and got into a fight with them. Suddenly, an injection was put
into my body and I fell unconscious. I remember waking up at night in a bed and
everyone was looking at me, I asked where my love was. They answered that I was
in the Rehabilitation center and I needed to stay there for now. I became
helpless and tried to escape the campus but I couldn`t walk properly since the
anesthesia was injected into my body.
Life inside
Rehabilitation Centre
There are many events in my experience at the
rehabilitation center, but I will discuss a few here. Days passed, and I was
given a bed with a kit of daily-use materials just like anyone else there. I
remember crying all night for a week, but soon I fit myself into the space
there. We became a family with different backgrounds. Every night we used to
play carom and watch a cricket match on TV. I used to wait for the evening
snacks, which changed every day and waited for the Sunday for chicken dinner. I
started finding happiness with the limited resources I had. I was also given a
pen and a notebook knowing that I love to write, where I used to write
poetries. There were different people on the campus with different backgrounds;
some were drug addicts, while others were mentally ill. However, I couldn`t
find which category I was because I felt that I was fine with some abnormal
behaviors. I questioned myself every night if love is a crime. I used to count
the days as every night passed. I could see new members joining us and also a
few leaving us. With time I got a few good friends, with whom I used to share
my story and they too share their stories.
Crazy addiction in
Rehabilitation Centre
I remember fighting with a boy there after an
argument during a carom match. I hit him so hard that he started bleeding and
later I felt regret for the incident. After a few days, he became my close
friend. One night I saw him using a plastic bag with petrol inside to get high.
He asked me to try and with curiosity, I tried. I was very happy because I was
already addicted to alcohol and weed before. The next day, I got addicted to
petrol. We used to steal petrol from a bike parked on the campus and used plastic
bags to get high. After a few days, we got caught and were punished.
Escape attempt at
night
I realized the value of freedom I had outside. I
think this changed my life. I had only a few people around and a pen and paper.
Every time someone gets released from the Rehabilitation centre our eyes get
filled with tears since we became like a family. I used to look outside the
window and see the birds flying high and used to pen some poetry on paper. As
days passed, I started realizing the truth of life. The rehabilitation center
was a place where I had given the most of my time to myself. Self-realization
helped me to know myself better than before. One night I decided to escape from
the campus with one of my friends. We made a hole in the washroom to flee but
we were caught. I think it was one of the worst experiences for me in the
Rehabilitation Centre.
Yoga classes every
evening
Every evening we used to have yoga classes, which
most of us used to skip citing various reasons to watch cricket on TV or play
carom. I have met people with drug addicts who starve for drugs every night and
also people who are mentally ill. Everyone was starving for freedom after all.
I also missed my parents and started realizing how much my parents matter to
me. My notebook was filled within a month with poetries and daily dairy
writings. Every night after dinner we used to have medication and then go to
sleep. But I used to hold the medicine in my mouth and later spit it in anger
just like many others there.
Release from Rehabilitation
Centre
I remember the day when my parents visited me after
3 months; I ran and hugged my father. But when I looked back, I could see the
faces with eyes filled with tears behind the bars. Today, when I remember my
days in the Rehabilitation center, my eyes fill with tears because that place
means a lot to me. It changed the way I look at my life. I think this piece of
life depends on how we look at it. Today I feel that I needed to stay in the
Rehabilitation centre else I wouldn`t have been alive today. I think the
importance of freedom is only understood when we are locked within a small
space with limited resources. We often expect more and more in our lives
ignoring what we already have and often regret losing what we already had in
our life.
I think the Rehabilitation Centre is not just a
barren house with limited resources but it can change someone like me and many
others. Often ignored and unspoken but I chose to speak and share since it
might change some other lives. In the age when we are so much connected, we
often forget to connect to ourselves. I think it was my perspective that was
shaped there which changed the quality of my life.
