Tihar Prisoners Release Inner Cyclone
Thursday December 30, 1993

NEW DELHI A wave of [Osho] hit the Tihar jail here in the past two days.
It was Osho Dynamic Meditation, Osho style, in the country's largest jail. A cathartic explosion. An inner cyclone. These expressions would sum up the new experiment launched in Tihar jail.
     An ear-shattering explosion of pent-up anger and frustration broke out from 600 prisoners in this over-crowded jail during Monday and Tuesday afternoons.
     After the first stage of deep and fast breathing, the prisoners were encouraged to purge their repressed emotions and traumas in the second stage. In this stage, termed catharsis by [Osho people], total bedlam broke out as all the 600 prisoners screamed and shrieked while wildly gesticulating and punching the air.
     Catharsis, a literary term coined by Greek philosopher Aristotle is used extensively in literary criticism of Greek and Shakespearean tragedies.
     The [Osho people] were scheduled to continue with this Osho Dynamic Meditation in the jail on Wednesday also, but according to Inspector General of Prisons (Delhi) Kiran Bedhi, the program was cancelled at the last minute.
     "It erupted like a volcano of violence showing the tremendous anger and frustration of these prisoners," commented Swami Swabhav, Osho's ambassador who had come from Pune to conduct the special camp.
"If not released in this harmless manner, this violence lies dormant ready to strike when these people are freed," said the swami in a statement here.
     "It is significant that the catharsis stage, which takes longer in normal persons, came in less than five minutes with these people and it surprised many wardens and other staffers present," he added.
     Later, after [a further] stage, of shouting, "Hoo...Hoo...Hoo," there was total silence as everybody became calm and still.
     "Some even cried, shedding tears of release from this inner cyclone." Swami Swabhav said.

Copyright Indian Express

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