Emotionally speaking, he was never hyper. Shah and he were neighbours there, so they chatted every day. For anda cell inmates, life in prison normally means a blanket, a pillow, a cheap German silver plate and a bowl. Shah and Parekh lived in rooms that were 90 to 100 square feet in size. These rooms included an attached, but open, toilet.
Indian jails are feudal in their administration.
Poorer prisoners help the richer ones with the cleaning and washing. According to one police officer, when an affluent person is imprisoned at any Indian jail, it signals a boom time for that jail's staff. His claim is buttressed by the relative of an accused housed at the Thane jail, who says he paid Rs 20,000 to visit his brother out of turn. Shah, apprehensive about the meals cooked by prisoners, once apparently offered Rs 100,000 to get home-cooked food in the jail. But his request was refused for security reasons.