BENGALURU: When Japanese student Hirotoshi Tanaka arrived in Bengaluru in 2019 to learn English, he never imagined that his journey would take him to Bengaluru Central Prison.After an altercation at an English academy, Tanaka was arrested and spent 19 days in judicial custody.For Tanaka, who knew little about India’s legal system and struggled to understand what was happening to him, prison was a bewildering experience. Yet amid the fear and uncertainty, he found unexpected moments of comfort — and an unlikely friend.Tanaka recalled a section for foreign prisoners that he referred to as the “Negro Room”, where English-language films were screened. He would go there to watch movies and eat tomato curry prepared by inmates.“I used to go to the Negro Room mainly to watch English films and have the tomato curry prepared by the prisoners. They were allowed to cook for themselves. The jail sambar was not very good because they deliberately used less salt and spices for the inmates’ health. But the vegetables they used were fresh,” he told TOI.Tanaka said he was intimidated by some inmates and consequently spent time in the psychiatric ward inside the prison hospital. But he also remembered the support he received from some prison officials.“The chief superintendent was kind enough to let me visit his office, where I was also given access to a computer,” he recalled.The most significant support, however, came from another inmate — Shankar, a prisoner convicted of murdering three people.Despite his criminal past, Shankar became Tanaka’s closest friend during his time in prison. Tanaka said Shankar had become deeply devoted to Christianity and helped him navigate an unfamiliar prison environment.“Shankar had been convicted of killing three people, but he had become a very devoted Christian. He was one of the people who helped me the most while I was in prison,” Tanaka said.Shankar accompanied Tanaka to video-conference court hearings and supported him when he struggled to arrange money for bail.“He would accompany me to my video-conference hearings and stayed with me when I had no money to arrange bail. I don’t think I would have been able to get out of prison without his help,” Tanaka said.Shankar, who was from Hubli, was later shifted to Vijayapura jail in January 2020. Before they parted ways, Tanaka gifted him items including a bag and keys.Even years later, Tanaka remembers the friendship with affection.“I still want to meet him again. Shankar is a very important person in my life and I will always remember the help he gave me,” he said.Tanaka’s 19 days in prison eventually became only one chapter in a much longer legal battle involving his criminal case, immigration status and a human rights complaint.The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission later held that he had been unnecessarily kept in judicial custody and recommended Rs 75,000 compensation, which was eventually paid to him in 2026.For Tanaka, however, the memories of prison are not only about fear or confusion. They also include English films, tomato curry, a computer in the superintendent’s office and, most importantly, an unexpected friendship with a fellow inmate.
