Behind the mask

With 11 plays watched by more than half a million people, Jacob Rajan and his Indian Ink theatre company have helped shape New Zealand culture.

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Jacob Rajan was the first Indian graduate from Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's drama school. Back in the 1990s, he met Justin Lewis in a bar after a show, and that chance conversation led them to start the theatre company Indian Ink. Their first play, Krishnan's Dairy, made a big impact on New Zealand theatre by bringing stories to audiences rooted in cultural connections and "the serious laugh" – mixing humour with weightier themes. Since then, Indian Ink has created 11 original plays and toured internationally. Along the way, Rajan has been recognised for his work. He was named an Arts Laureate in 2002 and appointed a Member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2013 for his contributions to theatre.

What is your earliest memory?
Getting a vaccination when I was 4. My mum said we were going to get an ice-cream, neglecting to mention the stabbing I would receive beforehand. I howled more at the betrayal than the pain.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I loved The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Three Investigators, etc, and I loved dogs. So, some sort of detective-with-a-dog Scooby-Doo situation would have been ideal.

When were you happiest?
My kids were 9, 7 and 5 and we were in the kitchen making chapatis in a sort of assembly line – shaping the dough, rolling, flipping, stamping with butter. There was music playing and I thought, “This is peak happy, this is as happy as you will ever need – remember this.”

What's your greatest fear?
I'm not great with balloons or snakes but my greatest fear would be something bad happening to my wife and kids. So, I guess if my wife and kids were trapped in a room with balloons and cobras and I was the only one who could save them, that would be bad for me – and them, obviously.