#RSOffStage feat. Tejas: “This is the First Room I’ve had to Myself in Eight Years.”

Mumbai’s Tejas Menon is a man of many abilities: he crowdfunded a debut album in record time, founded a record label and somehow manages to find the time to contribute to a “nerd” collective. A visit to Menon’s home reveals that his vibrant Versova residence serves as the confluence of all his many passions–gaming, Star Wars, music, cats.

“I’ve always slept in halls or on couches, and as a kid I moved houses a fair bit, so I’ve always been apprehensive to make a space my own, and do it up.” Photo: Swaraj Sriwastav

“This is the first room I’ve had to myself in eight years; I’ve always slept in halls or on couches, and as a kid I moved houses a fair bit, so I’ve always been apprehensive to make a space my own, and do it up,” says Menon. “I finally decided to make this wall my own and let it reflect who I am so that I could shoot in front of it and have something that I could say was finally my own. My friends and I painted it as well, which makes it really special to me.”

Menon’s cats are named after Star Wars characters. “Before I had pets I wondered why people obsess over them, but I totally get it now.” Photo: Swaraj Sriwastav

Menon’s bright yellow wall has served as the background for many videos, including the Geek Fruit web series. It has shelves stacked with books, collectibles, action figures and other paraphernalia.

Menon’s love of all things geek spills over to every aspect of his life: he even named his cats Luke and Leia. “Before I had pets I wondered why people obsess over them, but I totally get it now, they are a huge part of my life, and having them at home makes it feel like one,” says Menon.

“The couch in my room is the same one I slept on in my cousin’s place 10 years ago when I first came to India. It’s really old and it’s probably time to let go of it, but it’s got a lot of sentimental value.” Photo: Swaraj Sriwastav

Apart from making music, the ”˜Make It Happen’ star enjoys reading, listening to podcasts and loves to find weird indie games on Steam. Menon also loves to sleep–he’s a couch potato, through and through.

“The couch in my room is the same one I slept on in my cousin’s place 10 years ago when I first came to India,” says Menon. “It’s really old and it’s probably time to let go of it, but it’s got a lot of sentimental value.”

When he’s not making music, Menon enjoys reading, listening to podcasts and loves to find weird indie games on Steam. Photo: Swaraj Sriwastav

Check out more portraits of artists at home in our OffStage series here.