Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, he moved with his family to Britain as a 14-year-old in February 1968.[1][3] He attended York University and Sussex University. Verma was one of the co-founders of Tara Arts, a British Asian theatre company that was created in response to the racial tensions in Britain in the late 1970s. Verma directed Tara's very first production (an adaptation of a Tagore play) at Battersea Arts Centre in August 1977. Later on, Tara Arts got its own theatre on Garratt Lane, Earlsfield in South London.[4]
Regarded as one of the pioneers of British Asian theatre, Verma has received numerous honours, including an MBE for his services to the arts in the 2017 New Year Honours.[4][1][5]
Verma led Tara Arts as Artistic Director since inception before stepping down after 43 years. He had initiated, and managed the project through to its completion in 2016, a total rebuilding of Tara Theatre, its headquarters. It included using the yellow bricks from the original building, now a distinct, warm, welcoming feature of its new auditorium, foyer and exterior.