Actually it is a small story. We — Peddi, Rajiv and Vishnu, the founders — are closely associated with the Theatre Outreach Unit at the University of Hyderabad.
We enjoyed every moment in conceptualising the Residency programme for theatre artists, touring across India, and converting Golden Threshold into an active cultural hub through performances, screenings, workshops and poetry gatherings.
Sir Ratan Tata Trust gave us decent funding to run the activities; the University of Hyderabad gave us the freedom to execute our creative ideas. But certain overhead expenses — which couldn't be billed to the University or the Tata Trust — kept cropping up.
We decided to start an independent trust to take care of such expenses, and to support the wonderful graduates who deserve all kinds of support in pursuing their careers: small grants towards travel to a festival, stay, stationery, and more.
Before asking friends to contribute, we pooled ₹5 lacs from our own savings as initial investment. One day fortune knocked our door in the form of Roopa Maganti, who graciously agreed to be a part of TEAT.