Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Umar Khalid Describes Monotony, Heat and Breathlessness in Tihar Jail
Umar Khalid describes what a normal day feels like inside Tihar Jail.
He says the days can seem almost identical.
He uses the changing seasons and trees outside to know that time is passing.
In summer, his cell becomes extremely hot, so he wets the concrete slab before lying on it.
At night, he listens to the radio, eats cold food and reads books.
Music sometimes reminds him of the past and makes him sad.
The heat can make him wake up feeling unable to breathe.
He has learned ways to calm his breathing, but he still worries about spending so much of his life in prison and whether anyone notices the injustice he describes.
Umar Khalid says prison days blur together, with seasons becoming his main marker of time.
He describes using a blanket as a winter mattress and wetting a concrete slab during summer.
His nightly routine includes listening to the radio, eating cold dinner and reading until sleep arrives.
Severe heat often wakes him with breathlessness, requiring him to use physical techniques to steady his breathing.
The experience leads him to question how years of captivity and continuing injustice affect society and the justice system.
- Who
- Umar Khalid, writing from his experience in prison.
- What
- A prison-diary account of daily monotony, extreme heat, reading, radio listening and episodes of breathlessness.
- When
- The specific date is not stated; the account describes recurring daily and seasonal experiences.
- Where
- Tihar Jail, specifically Khalid’s prison ward and cell.
- Why
- He writes to describe how captivity affects his sense of time, body and thoughts about continuing injustice.
- Prison
- Tihar Jail
- Timekeeping
- Khalid says he now marks time mainly through changing seasons.
- Summer conditions
- He describes severe heat in the cell and wets the concrete slab used as a bed.
- Night routine
- He listens to the radio, eats cold dinner and reads for several hours.
- Breathlessness
- Heat and other causes can wake him after sleep and trigger panic.
- Self-management
- He says he uses physical techniques to stabilize his breathing.
- Central concern
- He questions whether years of captivity and continuing injustice affect anyone, including the justice system.