Five-Star Prison

It was midnight. Pushkar washed the dishes in the kitchen and placed them neatly on the stand. He wanted to sleep but somehow the sleep eluded him; so, he sat on the comfortable sofa of his one hall-kitchen living space. Sitting in the dark, his eyes shifted around the room from his bed to his TV, to his well-arranged kitchen, to the bathroom door, and finally rested on the enormous window that touched from floor to ceiling. This window was heavily burdened with beautiful floral curtains that shielded the room from the stares of the visitors, but Pushkar did not want to close them tonight. He just wanted to look outside and absorb the view: the well-lit garden, the towering buildings with glass walls, a long array of street lamps, lights of vehicles fading in the dark, and a distant mountain. All his life, he had dreamt of being in this room - a dream that was fulfilled only when he was nearing his fifties, and tomorrow, he would be leaving it forever. But he was satisfied. He had thoroughly enjoyed all amenities of this place: luxurious room, TV lounge, relaxing spa, swimming pool, and well-equipped sports centre. Suddenly, it dawned on him that his life had hit some dead end, and he had no idea what he would do next. Dispiritedly, as he was lost in his thoughts, his entire life flashed before his eyes.

“Deva! Where is the money that I saved for Diwali?” lamented Indumati.
“Are you sure you’re checking the right place, Indu?” asked Revaram.
“Yes, I clearly remember it. After making good profits on fish sales during Durga Pooja, I had kept two hundred and fifty rupees in this box.” Indu showed the empty box to her husband. A fragile boy of fourteen years old was listening to this conversation from a corner and sweating profusely. He knew exactly where the money was, but he kept quiet. The little house, a tin-thatched space of approximately 10 by 10 feet, was thoroughly searched, and the money was found – inside Pushkar’s school bag!

"My son had left school, Dada. He recently passed his tenth standard, but he says he has studied enough. I can't allow him to sit at home all day and do nothing. Can you please give him some job in your garage?" queried Indumati.
"Sister, I have known you for years, and I have never met a woman who is as honest as you. I am sure your boy will work here with the same honesty and integrity," replied the owner of the famous A-One Garage in Samudranagar.
"He will, Dada, thank you. May Bappa shower his blessings on you." Indumati was delighted, but Pushkar was nervous.

"Aye chhipkali! Come here!" ordered one man.
"He isn't a chhipkali. He is a khamba," said the other man, and a group of five people laughed as they repaired cars at their workstations.
It was Pushkar’s first day at the garage, and he was feeling miserable. Amidst the roars of laughter, he heard a squeaky voice, "Ignore them. They make fun of everybody." Pushkar turned his head to look at the source of this sound. There stood a pale boy whose clothes were smudged in oil and grease. He was shorter but slightly muscular than Pushkar. However, unlike Pushkar, he exhibited authority and radiated confidence. "My name is Beeja," he said. Pushkar simply nodded.

Under a huge Banyan tree, which was close to the A-One garage, sat Pushkar and Beeja. "I have a confession to make," said Beeja.
"And what's that?" asked Pushkar.
"I have always envied you since you attended school whereas I couldn't. After the death of my entire family in the epidemic, I lost all my hopes. To survive, I started stealing. One day, I was caught stealing Pav Bada from a street vendor, but Dada saved me from the angry mob and brought me to the garage. However, I must say, stealing was fun!" Beeja chuckled.
"You like stealing?" Pushkar asked with a mixture of surprise and eagerness.
"Yes!"
"Well then, I also have a confession to make." Beeja gave a questioning look to Pushkar who continued, "Sometimes I also feel a strong desire to steal something that is really hard to suppress, and I end up stealing a few things around the house. I feel a certain kind of thrill which is unexplainable…" Pushkar lowered his head, seeing the blank expression on Beeja’s face. After a minute of silence, Beeja patted Pushkar’s back and laughed; Pushkar looked up and started laughing too.

"I have a plan," said Beeja one day at the garage.
"What plan?" asked Pushkar.
"Come to Gandhi Chowk today at midnight."
"Okay."

Pushkar sneaked out of his house at midnight. Gandhi Chowk was wrapped in a blanket of silence when he reached their place of rendezvous. The street lights lit up specific patches of the chowk, but most areas were immersed in complete darkness. A few people were sleeping outside the closed shops while somewhere, probably in the next lane, a few dogs were barking. Soon, Beeja joined him.
"So, what's the plan that you were talking about?" Pushkar inquired.
"Do you see that liquor shop?" asked Beeja.
Pushkar nodded and said, "I do."
"We're going to steal money from that shop tonight," said Beeja.
Pushkar hesitated, but the thrill of stealing crept back in him. After a brief moment of introspection, his eyes twinkled in excitement.

"There was a flaw in our plan. We will be more careful next time," said Beeja, who was still more confident than ever.
"Our plan? Next time?" Pushkar was infuriated. "It was your plan, and because of your plan, we have landed in this Juvenile Home for two years. And, trust me when I say, there will be no next time!" Pushkar was yelling at Beeja. He then mumbled, "I have never seen my mother cry like this. And, have you seen the look of disgust on Dada's face?"

"My dear son," sobbed Indumati, "if you don't wish to work, then don't. Sit at home. But I request you not to indulge in any sort of illegal practices ever!"
"Yes aai, I won't. I promise, I won't," replied Pushkar apologetically.

The black clouds were gathering in the sky. Pushkar, a young man of twenty years, sat on the white sand beach, facing the setting sun, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, it started raining heavily. Pushkar got up and walked towards his home when he saw an aged man struggling to restart a broken car. Pushkar reached the car and knocked on the window. As the window lowered, he said, "Sir, I have worked in a garage. I can help you." After little reluctance, the man agreed. With quick hands, Pushkar addressed the issue and repaired the car. Impressed by his work, the old man asked, "Do you work anywhere?"
Pushkar replied, "No!"
"Can you drive?"
"Yes sir, very well."
"Hail Lord Krishna! Come to Bungalow no. 37 in Vasant Township tomorrow at 8 a.m. There is a requirement for a driver."

As Pushkar drove towards Amethyst Five-Star Hotel, which was owned by his Sahab, he was catching glimpses of his passenger in the rear-view mirror and admiring her beauty - "Lily memsaab is so beautiful but arrogant. However, she appears to be in a good mood today…"
Suddenly, a silvery voice spoke, "Pushkar, Aarush went to the sports club for his swimming class. Pick him up at 5 p.m."
"Ji memsaab," replied Pushkar. Sensing the positive vibes, he tried to push his luck and said, "Memsaab, I always wanted to visit a five-star hotel."
As he had rightly hoped, Lily laughed and said, "Why not? You can come inside today."

“Majestic! It can’t be a hotel; it’s a palace.” Pushkar gaped in astonishment as he entered the five-star hotel. Well-dressed hotel staff in elegant uniforms, red-carpeted floors, ornamented walls, sparkling glass roof, numerous arched windows, shimmering chandeliers, long tapestries, massive statues… “a fountain inside a hotel. This is insane!” thought Pushkar. As he passed by the kitchen, his eyes fixed on the silver cutlery. He stood motionless, hypnotized by the shine of the silverware. The thief that lay dormant within him woke up from a long slumber, and hiding from everyone's eyes, he picked up a silver fork and a silver spoon.

"You thief!" Sahab slapped Pushkar. "Many thanks to Lord Krishna that the manager saw you stealing cutlery from the kitchen and informed me. Leave the house right now! I am not handing you over to the police today, but you are fired." Pushkar hung his head low in shame.
"I shouldn't have allowed you to come inside the hotel. You don’t deserve to be at such places,” commented Lily. “In Nanawati, the government is opening a five-star prison. That’s the place you deserve to be, not a five-star hotel!" Lily’s words pierced right through his heart, and Pushkar left Bungalow no. 37 in rage.

"Beeja, I don't know if I’ll ever be able to enter a five-star hotel, but I promise you that I will go to this five-star prison one day," said Pushkar.
"What do you want to do?" asked Beeja.
"Let's rob a bank!"
Beeja smirked.

“In an attempt to rob Bharat Bank, Shree Vihar Branch in Samudranagar, Pushkar and Beeja are sentenced to five years in prison. They will spend the tenure of their punishment in Samudranagar Central Jail,” pronounced the District Judge.

One day in Samudranagar Central Jail, Beeja asked Pushkar, “Do you know where the five-star prison is?”
“Yes, it’s in Nanawati," replied Pushkar.
“How do you know that the judge will send you to this five-star prison facility?”
“I don’t know! I will keep trying one way or another until I reach there.”
“What do you plan to do when you get out of here?”
“Kidnap Aarush.”
“You mean your Sahab’s grandson?”
“Yes!”

The kidnapping of Aarush Mathur…extortion…jail of seven years…

Smuggling of goods…Ambagarh Central Jail…illegal trade of drugs…five years…

Robbery on highway…repetition of crimes…imprisonment for three years…Samudranagar Central Jail…

Possession of stolen goods…Attempt to murder…

Jail…Years…

Jail…Years…

“Pushkar, you will serve five years of punishment in Prisoner Facility at Nanawati,” Judge announced his decision.
Pushkar was laughing. After a wait of nearly 25 years, his dream had come true.

At the sound of footsteps, Pushkar jolted back to the present. The darkness was gone and morning hues were spread across the entire sky. The sun would rise soon and light up Nanawati Prison Facility with its golden rays. Suddenly the door opened and Pushkar turned, a decorated police officer entered the room and said, "Let's go! You're a free man now."

(Justice Center Leoben is one such prison facility in Leoben in Styria, Austria that provides five-star hotel-like facilities to its inmates.)