You can smash bottles, cups, glasses, and tube lights at the Mumbai 'rage room'.
Glass pieces were scattered everywhere as people smashed bottles and tube lights while some were seen standing with hammers in their hands thinking about what to destroy next. The scene is not from a crime spot but a 'rage room' in India's financial capital Mumbai.
The one in Mumbai, the city's first, is located in Sakinaka - a neighbourhood in the Andheri east suburb of Mumbai - and allows visitors to unleash their pent-up anger without repercussions.
What Are Rage Rooms?
The rage rooms are all the rage in India, especially in the big cities where stress levels often run high because of a fast-paced life.
Rage rooms or anger rooms are spread across the world and serve as an antidote to anger and stress. They are based around the thought of catharsis - blowing off steam with directed physical activity.
Besides Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Indore also have rage rooms.
'Smash Glass, Tube Lights At A Fixed Cost'
You can smash bottles, cups, glasses, and tube lights and the experience would cost between Rs 500 to Rs 1,500, depending on the items chosen for destruction. The option to break television and laptop is also there but one would have to shell out more money for that. The aim, the people who run the place say, is to provide temporary relief to people from daily stress.
"Nowadays, we see people breaking their mobile phones and household items in anger. Rather than breaking a mobile or television set worth Rs 50 thousand or a lakh. Come here, give us Rs 1,000-1,500 and be as angry as you want. It takes you a minute to break your mobile, here you can break as many things as you want in half an hour," said Somesh Hoval, the manager of the rage room.
Not All Are Looking To Vent Their Anger
He said the rage room - which opened only two months ago - doesn't only see visitors who want to vent their anger, but also those who visit for fun.
"Some come to vent out their anger, some to have fun while others seek the thrill of destruction. Some even come with their families," he added.
A man who was unhappy with his business partner and came to the rage room to release all the anger said, "I had a lot of fun, the anger vanished."
But Is This A Permanent Cure For Anger?
Amid the excitement surrounding this unconventional concept, questions arise about its effectiveness as a long-term solution for anger management. Psychologist Dr Sagar Mundra suggests that while the rage room may offer temporary relief, it's essential to address the underlying issues causing recurring anger.
"Rage Room is a good concept in the short-term but if you tend to get very angry or have a disorder, it's not that you will go to a rage room every day and you will be fine," he said.