The journey of a passionate theatre artist
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The journey of a passionate theatre artist

"After watching a theatre show for the first time, I knew this is what I want to do"

The journey of a passionate theatre artist

Tejeshwar Singh (30) is a man of many talents. He is a writer, a poet and a theatre artist who has left no stone unturned to give wings to his dreams.

Hailing from Palwal district in Haryana, even though he is a government officer, his first love is theatre and the art of acting.

In Tejeshwar's own words, he was always fascinated by stage. He wanted to perform for the people and he knew he liked to be the center of attention.

He tells us, “While I was doing my engineering from MDU Rohtak, Haryana, I discovered that this is not what I wanted to do. I used to participate in college fests and loved to be on stage. I am an extrovert who loves communicating and connecting with people. I found my love for stage during my college only. After my college, I got a job in a private firm but I kept my love for theatre alive and regularly went to watch theatre shows.”

Credit: Supplied

Eventually, from watching theatre shows to joining a theatre group in Delhi, he kickstarted his theatre journey.

While talking about how his journey started, he says, “After watching the very first theatre show, I knew that this is what I wanted to do, I wanted to be on the stage. I also did a course in performing arts. In 2012, I joined a theatre group in Delhi named ‘Antraal Theatre Group’ to learn acting. After attending several workshops, acting classes, group discussions, outdoors-indoor rehearsals, I started enjoying everything about theatre.”

Credit: Supplied
Credit: Supplied

He adds “I almost performed in 20-22 theatre shows and 2-3 short films like ‘Aye Kaash’ but the most memorable show I have done till now is 'Jisne Lahore Nahi Dekha Vo Jamya Nahi’ - written by Dr. Azgar Wajahat. This show is very close to my heart. It was about the partition. Theatre and acting are not just any hobby to pursue, they give us many lessons. When we perform a certain character, we live that character and if you love to act, the emotion comes naturally.”

Credit: Supplied
Credit: Supplied

Throughout his journey, Tejeshwar met several people who taught him about different aspects of theatre and life. He calls them his guru and says that any understanding he has of theatre and acting is to their credit. While Fahad Khan, a senior of Tejeshwar in his acting circuit taught him that theatre is a reflection of society, his other two gurus, Akbar and Azam Quadri taught him the art of acting and helped him build confidence.

Credit: Supplied

When everything seemed to be working for Tejeshwar, in 2018 happened something that changed his life forever. On July 2, 2018, Tejeshwar met a car accident and fell into a roadside drain that had toxic chemical waste from factories of Faridabad. That accident cost Tejeshwar his right hand.

Talking about that phase of his life, Tejeshwar says, “That was the most difficult phase of my life. I was 26, my career was at its peak and everything was going so well. I was happy with my job and was also following my dream of acting. Suddenly, due to this accident, I was admitted to AIIMS Trauma center for a month where the doctors removed my right hand to save my life.”

After this blow, it was difficult for Tejeshwar to start over. His life had turned upside down and there was no hope in sight. However, Tejeshwar's family, friends and his theatre circuit came to his rescue and helped him see the light at the end of the tunnel. He tells, "It took me 5-6 months to come out of that trauma. At that time, the only thing I did was to worry about my traveling, career, and theatre. I loved driving too, now what?”

Credit: Supplied

He further says, “Around this time, I started reading books and writing. From there, I found my love for writing as well. I also wanted to get up and do something with my life again. If not for me, I need to stand up and start living life again for my parents.”

With his resilience and fighter spirit, Tejeshwar gave another go to his life. Instead of focusing on what he couldn't do, he focused on how can he get back to have a normal happy life. He says, “Now, I write on my phone and also drive my car. Also, the dream to become an actor got even more difficult for me because the pool of opportunities for me shrank in the industry. So, I decided to work and start filling out application forms for jobs.”

Just as Tejeshwar was getting back on his feet, another tragedy hit him as he lost his mother in 2020. While talking about that period of his life, Tejeshwar says, "I lost the strength and ray of sunshine of my life, my Maa. I was shattered and weak and again one question struck to my mind, why? It took me months to handle myself but I needed to be strong for my family and my father. So, I again got up and worked harder for my mother and family.”

After sitting for around 30-40 exams, he cleared some of them and bagged the job of  Assistant Section Officer in Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan. However, he still needed to resume his theatre journey. When he wanted to make a comeback in the theatre industry, his theatre group welcomed and supported him. Also, his love for writing and reading pushed him to pursue a postgraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.

“I started doing the shows again last year and it feels great to be back on the stage. I have acted in some short films such as Logged In and others. I’m also pursuing a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I started learning pistol shooting in April and my professional training is going to start soon. It is important to keep learning from the difficult phases of life. Problems are a part of our life but do not allow them to become a hurdle for yourself, just face them and move forward. Why limit yourself when you have so much to do and learn?”

Credit: Supplied
Credit: Supplied

Truly, Tejeshwar Singh is a great inspiration for everyone and especially for those who don't see any ray of hope in their life. While concluding our conversation, he ends with some inspirational lines quoted by Atal Ji.

Ending the conversation, Tejeshwar says, "Do what you love the most, follow your passion and keep working hard, never lose hope. At last, I just want to quote some lines of Atal Ji which helped me to get over my difficult times.

हार में या जीत में
किंचित नहीं भयभीत में
कर्तव्य पथ पर जो मिला
यह भी सही वह भी सही"