Takhai was born in Surinam when his parents were making a five year tour through the Dutch Antilles, Surinam and Brazil. His parents moved back to Amsterdam, Holland, but after their separation he moved with his father and his elder brother to Surinam. After some nine years they moved to Aruba. As a young boy he and his older brother formed a successful dancing duo and played in various commercial video’s. As a young adult his activities in the music scene lead to a growing interest in the theatrical aspects of working with people. After he graduated as theatre pedagogue his focus entirely shifted to making plays, especially with young people. His cosmopolitan background - an Aruban father, a painter, and Japanese-Dutch mother, a composer - infused his life with an interest in ethnicity and history.