Life has been a roller-coaster ride for Tarun Singhal, president, Desires Unlimited Drama Society. Co-founded by Singhal, the society organises plays, workshops and corporate shows. It also creates content for documentaries and online media. After a five-year dual degree course in chemical engineering with a specialisation in process design (2002-07), this IIT Delhi alumnus quit his two-month-old job and started working on video ads and documentaries. Along with his friend and business partner Ashutosh Matela, this 29-year-old came up with their first production, Shit Happens, in 2009. Since then they have produced 10 plays with over 30 shows. Excerpts from an interview…
What did college teach you?
The best thing about college life was the friends I made there. I believe that in that age (18-22) you make your best friends, who stay with you for life, and when you live with them for four to five years it changes everything. I learned to respect my seniors and love my juniors. I learned to work under pressure and developed the ability to never give up! College also gave me confidence that I can do anything and it is never late to start anything anew. I learned to work hard. It also helped me understand my family better.
What is your proudest moment in college?
The proudest moment could be when I got the Best Actor and Best Play (direction) award for an inter-hostel play in my final year. This was special because I had thrown a challenge in front of my hostelites! Also, this was the first time I started believing in myself as there was no guidance from any of my seniors or experts. There was a full team backing and helping me throughout, though.
Have you had any embarrassing moments?
In the first year, there was a job party in our hostel. I got drunk and created a ruckus. My seniors had to drag me to my room.
How did you score points with the opposite gender?
Hardly any! This was because of the ‘most embarrassing moment’ in my life. I think most IITians score low in this area as we lose two precious years of our adolescence (16 to 18) studying for one of the most difficult examinations in the world, JEE.
Was bunking a part of your college life?
Yes. There was a minimum 75 per cent attendance rule but it depended upon the professor. We made sure to utilise the 25 per cent in our own way.
Did you have any rifts with college professors? Why?
Oh, many. I never scored well in IIT. The focus was also on grades rather than learning and understanding. The saddest part of it was that once you are in the dark hole, you tend to go deeper not because you find it difficult to return but because of the professor’s attitude towards a poor student. Now, of course, this isn’t true for all professors and I must mention I found a gem of a person in professor OP Amar. His sense of humor and style of teaching always interested me! He was a genius at what he was doing.
Where did you hang out in college with friends?
Inside the campus we mostly were at the hostel, the main institute area and SDA market opposite IIT. We also went out to watch movies. There used to be small dabbas around the campus at night. We were regular customers there!
What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
I was involved in dramatics, fine arts (charcoal sketching), table tennis, hockey, chess and filmmaking. Despite being in an engineering college, we had great talent in almost every field. People were passionate!
— kaviya@newindianexpress.com