Jacob Rajan | |
|---|---|
 Rajan's investiture as aMember of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the governor-general, SirJerry Mateparae (right) on 23 May 2013. In the2013 New Year Honours, Rajan was appointed aMember of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to theatre.[1] | |
| Nationality | Malaysian |
| Citizenship | New Zealand |
Jacob RajanMNZM is a Malaysian-born-New Zealandplaywright andactor. His highly successful plays include the trilogyKrishnan's Dairy,The Candlestick Maker andThe Pickle King. Another work wasThe Dentist's Chair. In 2002, he received the prestigious Laureate Art Award.[2] All of Rajan's plays, except his first,Krishnan's Dairy, were originally produced for his theatre company, Indian Ink Theatre Company, and co-written with director/writer Justin Lewis, co-founder of Indian Ink.[3]
Rajan was born in Malaysia to Indian parents, and migrated to New Zealand when he was four years old.[2] After studying science at theUniversity of Otago, he went to teacher's college, then studied acting and atToi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School.[4] He graduated in 1994 and has since appeared in different stage and screen productions as well as touring internationally.[5] He appeared as Dr Ashwin Bhashar in the television soapShortland Street.[6]
With Justin Lewis, Rajan co-founded theIndian Ink Theatre Company in 1996. His most significant works are with this company and include the trilogy of plays which exploreIndian themes, characters and stories.[2]Krishnan's Dairy,The Candlestick Maker andThe Guru Of Chai have been extremely popular plays in NZ. In 1999,Krishnan's Dairy won theEdinburgh Festival Fringe First award.[7]The Pickle King won the same award in 2003.[7] Other work includesKiss the Fish.[8]
Rajan says he "writes the stories that move him – they might happen to have Indian elements just because that's his frame of reference, but he doesn't set out to write Indian plays."[7]
Rajan is a key member ofThe Kshetra Collective.[9]
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