Hi, my name is Palina. I am an academic, language teacher and cultural worker.

I was teaching German at IITB for two years. I really wanted to explore Kafka with the IITB students and came up with the idea of reading “The Metamorphosis” and developing it into a play. Kafka is a timeless writer whose work is open and hermetic at the same time. We as contemporary readers can project his personal perspectives and experiences on his texts.

Working with the Kafka@IITB Theatre Company was a fantastic experience. I am enthused over the individual talents and the creativity everyone brought into the project. The most beautiful thing was that we really grew into a Kafka-Family over time

Anurag likes to call his brain "A Box of Nothings" where his weird ideas keep festering and evolving until they find a place to hatch.

Incidentally, this play was one of those places, which kept evolving from a play, to ideas of recording the play like a film, to it finally culminating into the form you see today!

He's designed this website and is also the voice behind Mr. Manager and all the Lodgers, and is as bit grumpy in real life as those characters.

I am a huge Kafka fan, having even visited his grave in Prague some years ago. The Kafka@IITB project was so unique that I quickly got deeply involved in every aspect of it. When CoViD destroyed our theatre plans, I was grateful that I could volunteer to produce the audio-play, so that we could take our labour to the audience over another medium. As a fledgeling audio engineer, designing the sound was enormously educational and fun for me. Managing our social media and video-documenting our journey was also a satisfying job.

My favourite line from the play is Mr. Samsa’s “You women never listen to me!” The part I enjoyed the most about the entire project was the company of the Kafka@IITB group: so dynamic, diverse and fun! I will really miss hanging out with the “Family Samsa”.

My love for poetry, philosophy, books and music came together in a uniquely wonderful way when I started working for this play in the capacity of a writer. This beautiful journey with ‘Family Samsa’, right from re-reading Kafka’s Metamorphosis to bring out the characters’ emotions in the form of monologues and dialogues of the script and to understanding their minds and hearts has been a metamorphosis in itself.

The auditions, practice sessions and meets were a fun learning experience.

The Covid situation did dampen my spirits and hopes of seeing the play tangibly come to life on the stage, nonetheless, I am hopeful that the audio play will bring some solace and peace to all of us and the audience listening to it now that it can reach more number of people.

As an engineer, I have no choice when new problems and challenges rise to be dealt with. The Acting challenge was not only my choice, it was the environment that I naturally feel I belong to. Stage, lighting and a silent hall, this is all what it needs to go through a magnificent experience. The Metamorphosis was no different from other experiences, except with the new friends with whom I bonded.

Gregor Samsa, which everyone start to call me, became part of me after many days of training and rehearsals. From the first reading I admired the character as it speaks up to the troubles that many young men and women are facing in real life.

The Metamorphosis didn't see the stage lights, but our light brought back to life the idea which we belive in.

I find stories, nature and science interesting and love of stories and reading have shaped most of my life’s idiosyncrasies and undertakings. When I initially read with Kafka’s metamorphosis, I wasn’t exactly fell into it. But it did sort of stuck at some corner of my mind, staying dormant until a couple of movies made them resurface. When I joined IIT Bombay, and tried myself in dramatics, I was thinking about making a short play out Metamorphosis, but by some sheer coincidence I came to know about the planning of Kafka@IITB, was immediately hooked onto it.

It has been a very sweet and learning experience, as I never really had any acting experience so was quite novel for me to work in coordination with people and building on their suggestions and feedback. And lastly, I really enjoyed it.

Ashita is a self-professed bibliophile, hula-hoop enthusiast, and staunch supporter of the Oxford comma who adores musicals. A (wannabe?) theatre nerd with a reputation for speaking really fast, she also believes Shakespearean insults are superior to any other kind (seriously, look them up) and endeavours to develop an extensive arsenal of them- yes, this is indeed the hill she chooses to die upon. A language geek, a sure-fire way to get her riled up is to mix up the words 'geek' and 'nerd' (there IS a difference- fight me).

I am Richie Garg, one of the writers and actors of “The Metamorphosis.” Writing a play was my first experience. There was a well-organized division of the scenes giving the writers the freedom to give their best shot. I am also enacting the sister's role, Grete Samsa. Initially, all the characters had been booked, but due to a sudden availability for the sister’s part, I was fortunate to act in this enchanting play. I enjoyed all the writing sessions, dress rehearsals, warm-up sessions, and video calls for voice recording.

The best moment for me was feeling goosebumps and laughing continuously when we first read the script aloud with the whole team. Witnessing a writer’s imagination, becoming a reality was surreal. I am soon about to graduate with a Ph.D. degree from the Mechanical Engineering department. I have been an active participant in dancing, basketball, running, and swimming marathons throughout my life at IIT Bombay. This particular event has been quite special to me, is a unique blend of innovation, creativity, and teamwork. Being a part of the Kafka@IITB family has been a perfect farewell.

Hey I'm Tanisha, and I play the role of the maid in the play. I am finishing my master's in Aerospace at IIT Bombay. German Engineering, People, Culture and History fascinate me, which is why I took up learning the German Language. That's how I met my teacher Palina (also the mastermind of the Kafka project). It's been a lot of fun working with the team. I had never done any sort of theatre/acting before this, so this was indeed a great learning experience. My teammates have put in a lot of love and effort in creating this audiobook, I am sure it's going to be awesome! (One day, in a pandemic free world, I hope we can perform the play too)

We all believe that learning is an important part of life. And for me, I think the best way to learn something new is by meeting new people and having new experiences. Because meeting new people not only helps you to broaden your perspective but also enables you to learn something new about yourself.

Kafka has been one such wonderful experience for me where I got to meet people from not just from different parts of the country but also from the world too!

I've learnt from the different perspectives and experiences of the members here, but most importantly I learnt something new about myself too. Kafka made me realize I still have the spark for writing and gave me an opportunity to write with such learned people.

I also got a platform to act and experience the magic of theatre, learn the art of analysis and the ability to see the world from different perspectives.

Kafka for me is not just a theatre group, it's a melting pot of amazing talents, ideas and the loveliest people you can ever meet.

Being almost unaware of Kafka I saw Kafka@IITB as an opportunity to start somewhere. I have been part of stageplays assuming various roles. For me plays are an exciting way of painting stories. I am really happy that the play is coming in audio mode, because of the undeterred efforts and will of people at Kafka@IITB. I am also really looking forward to seeing it on the stage in future!

"Aditya is an enthusiastic musician and actor who one day found himself doing Aerospace engineering. He plays five musical instruments and has acted in colleges like IIM-Bangalore and St. Xaviers, Mumbai. He describes his time with “KAFKA at IIT-B” as a dessert in the meal of his college life. He loves poetry and is a passionate writer, speaking of which he also wrote this bio xD."