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Sanjay Dutt speaks about drug addiction and life in jail

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News Stories Posted by ARY News Digital Team

Dutt, 56, was arrested in April 1993 for illegal arms possession after a series of deadly bombing in Bombay claimed the lives of 257 people.  After a lengthy trial he was sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment in 2006. He was eventually released in February 2016 after serving his sentence with good behavior and conduct.

DRUG ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE 

Sanjay Dutt spoke about his drug addiction saying that “Substance abuse is something that you do if you want to do it. Once you get into it, it’s very difficult to leave. It is the worst thing in the world”

His journey  with substance abuse has been about 12 years. “There are no drugs in the world that I have not done. When my father took me to America (for rehab), they gave me a list and I ticked every drug on it, because I had taken all of them.”

The doctor told my dad, ‘What kind of food do you eat in India? Going by the drugs he did, he should be dead by now!'”

He said that he left drugs because he wanted to be out of it and didn’t want that life. It was a physical journey as your body breaks down as well. He gave a message to other youth to have the willpower to get rid of this addiction.

“I didn’t leave drugs because of my family. I left because I wanted to be out of it. I didn’t want that life. When you start the rehabilitation process, one part is physical – your body breaks down and you feel cold,” he added.

I want to tell youngsters, live your life, love your work, love your family, it is better than cocaine.”

THE MOMENT HE WAS CHARGED

Sanjay Dutt recalled that he was shooting in Mauritius when his sister called and said that he was being charged for keeping rifles.

“When I reached Bombay airport, I was coming down from the slide, and I saw 50,000 policemen pointing their guns at me, as if I was Osama Bin Laden.” he said.

He was charged under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) and he had no idea what it even  meant.

“Every person in India should know the law, be it entertainment tax or Income Tax. I made a mistake by not knowing the law… I thought that the police would let me go, since I was a first-time offender. I was taken to the crime branch… And then suddenly, TADA.”

He swear that he didn’t know what TADA meant and broke down when he was booked in the Mubai blast case for attempting to blow his own city.

SOLACE IN SPIRITUALITY

“Never hope. It is the most difficult thing. Once you cut that hope, life is easy, you survive so beautifully. In jail, there is nothing but hope. But when I decided ki mujhe koi hope nahin chahiye, (I don’t even need any hope), the journey in jail became easy and passed quickly.”

He said that he took to spirituality  which gave him solace. This was his survival strategy in jail. His life has not been easy and was like climbing Mount Everest and falling down and starting all over again but he always reached the top of the peak. Now he want to travel across India and share his story.

In jail he read the Ramayan, Bhagwad Gita, Shiv Puran, Ganesh Puran, Bible, Quran Sharif and Guru Granth Sahib.

LIFE AND SURVIVAL IN JAIL

He said that his children still do not know that he was in jail, but he had warned his wife not to bring them and see him in torn clothes and a cap. He used to speak to them twice a month and told him that he was shooting in the mountains and didn’t have proper connection.

When he went to jail he weighed 110 Kg but then he quickly gained weight. You can also workout without a gym. As a result, he started running in the yard and lifted huge buckets of water.

“I used to hit nails in the wall till my knuckles hurt and wrists swelled. But still, I used to do it every day, because I wanted to break through the pain.”

 

 

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