Once a drug addict, a prisoner - now a school teacher

“The most important journey you will take in your life will usually be the one of self-transformation. Often, this is the scariest because it requires the greatest changes, in your life.”

- Shannon L. Alder

A drug addict, who was sentenced to 12 years in jail for drug pedalling, today stands out as a role model for his village, running a free school for its children. His is a classic case that fits in well with what Sri Sri Ravishankar says: “Behind every culprit, there is a victim crying for help. You need to identify him and heal him.” Dara Singh got a chance to turn a new leaf, thanks to the Art of Living programme he attended in Udaipur jail. The son of a farmer, Dara spent his childhood in a village, living a simple life. His parents sent him to a school in a place that was far away from his village. Peer pressure led the young Dara to experiment with drugs, and then there was no turning back. “In the beginning, they provided me the drugs (smack) free of cost. But once I got addicted, they started telling me that I needed to pay for it as these drugs are costly. Neither could I manage such money, nor could I let go of the addiction. So I got involved in pedalling drugs,” he recounts.

Then it was that he paid the price. He discontinued his studies and started pedalling drugs in a big way. In 2001, the Rajasthan Police arrested him when attempting to smuggle 750 grams of smack into Bihar from Rajasthan. He was convicted and imprisoned. “I did not want to commit any crime but addiction is a dangerous thing. When I felt the need for intoxication, I was prepared to do anything. I had to steal and I was ready to even kill just to get the money to buy drugs,” he explains. But in the world of crime, he lived a life full of fear. “I could neither eat well nor rest peaceably. And in that dreadful state of fear, the plan to commit crimes would continue in my mind,” he recalls. The same pattern continued inside the jail too. “I had resigned to lead a life of a criminal. I was debating with myself as to how best to avenge those who had sent me to jail,” he confesses.

All that changed one day when he did the Sudarshan Kriya, a breathing technique taught in the Art of Living Prison Programme. “From the first time I did the Sudarshan Kriya, my thought process changed and I became more and more positive. Suddenly, all my criminal thoughts disappeared,” he recollects. Dara says, “Yoga, meditation and Sudarshan Kriya is very important because prisoners are full of fear and are revengeful. That is why they commit more crimes. Such techniques give one the courage and confidence to keep away from criminal activities and lead a good life in society. Had I not attended the Art of Living Programme, I would in all likelihood have been involved in theft, murder, drugs, kidnapping and other criminal acts after being released from jail. It was only the Art of Living Programme that brought me back to a life worth living. The inclination to do something positive for society and the strength to implement good ideas for the benefit of my fellow humans both emanate from my practice of the Art of Living techniques.”

That transformation made a big difference to Dara’s life per se. “When I came out of jail after seven-and-a-half years, no one wanted to talk to me, leave alone have anything to do with me. But I would still go to the village and talk about the tremendous change I experienced in jail because of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the rehabilitation programme I had been through. People were frightened of me due to my past misdeeds, but the transformation in me changed their perception about me. I left the company of substance abusers. I made a decision to stop talking to them and made other friends. The Art of Living circles provided me with good company and managed to rid me of the stigma. And then people started believing in me,” he narrates.

At this crucial phase of his life, Art of Living proved to be his lifeline. He was given the task of running a free school for the poor children of the village, under the aegis of the Art of Living. Financed by Sri Sri Ved Vigyan Mahavidyalaya, Bengaluru, this school is located in Sarangkhera village near Kota. With the dedicated efforts of Dara Singh, this school is doing better than the government school there. This project has not only helped improve his reputation, but also helped raise his self-esteem. “I run the free school with about 500 children from poor families, mostly children of daily wage earners. Most are first-generation school-goers. The school bears all the expenses of the children including a daily meal, uniforms, school bag and books, shoes, socks, etc. Around 150 children are provided free transportation as well, which has encouraged people from about a dozen neighbouring villages to send their children to school,” he explains with pride. A solar project that has been set up in the school at an estimated cost of ₹28 lakh, is a boon for the 800 villagers of Sarangkhera. Belying his chequered past, Dara now talks philosophically: “Life is short and there is lots of services to do.”