“I’ve lived in Chennai all my life. If you had met me as a kid, you would have never guessed where I’d end up. I was that silent child. The one who barely spoke. The one who would rather sit in a corner than be seen. No one, including myself, ever imagined that I’d grow up to build a life in the loud, expressive and unpredictable world of theatre.

But the city has plans for you long before you realise you have plans for yourself.

I’ve been a theatre artist for almost 10 years now. I’ve experimented with everything the world of performing arts had to offer and today I run a performance and event venue called Arena on ECR with my wife, Varshene Kripa. It still feels surreal to say it out loud. Growing up, I didn’t know how to express myself and now my whole life revolves around expression.

If I had to pick one perspective that changed me, it would be this:
We hear, but do we listen?
I see this with my students all the time when I teach theatre and personality development. Kids hear instructions but they learn only when they listen. And somewhere along the way, I realised this applies to adults too. It applies to life. The moment I started genuinely listening to people, to the world, to myself, life became simpler. And so much more interesting.

Chennai has shaped me through the big moments like teachers, friends, parents and my wife. But it has also shaped me through the tiny moments that arrive out of nowhere. The Auto anna who dropped me home late one night and gave me advice without knowing he was giving advice. The stranger in a café taking a work call with so much passion that it made me rethink my own drive. The policeman who calmly told me to keep my road rage in check. The theatre kid who found the most diplomatic way to tell me to stop over-advising and start teaching again. Life adds up, domino by domino, until suddenly you are not the person you were.

Marriage has been one of those dominos. My life partner and my business partner are the same person and that has been the most fascinating journey. We knew the city was growing every day and we felt that ECR was the perfect place to open a performance centre. Our dream was simple:
to bring people together through art.

There is nothing quite like human connection.
Laughter is louder when there are people around.
Sadness becomes lighter when there are people around.
A concert is only a concert when the audience sings along.

At Arena, when we see 150 people laughing together, something happens. My wife and I stop being hosts and become audience members ourselves. We just sit there, overwhelmed, watching a room full of strangers feel things together. It feels like home. It feels like purpose.

And as much as Chennai loves to complain about humidity, let’s be honest. The moment you leave the city your mind and body start missing it. Chennai has everything. It holds you without asking. It teaches you without warning. It brings people together without trying.

Arena has been our second home but Chennai will always be our first.

To everyone who has supported us, encouraged us, shown up, applauded, laughed, cried and believed in the magic of shared human feeling, thank you. All we hope for in the coming years is to keep creating more moments like that. To keep bringing people together. To keep listening.”