Rajesh Koothrappali
Encyclopedia
Rajesh Ramayan "Raj" Koothrappali, Ph.D.
(born October 6) is a fictional character
on the CBS
television series The Big Bang Theory
, portrayed by actor Kunal Nayyar
.
Rajesh is Howard Wolowitz
's (Simon Helberg
) best friend and one of the central characters of the show. He works as an astrophysicist in the Physics Department at Caltech. His principal characteristic is a case of selective mutism
which does not allow him to talk to women outside of his family.
, India
, yet despises Indian food, and his knowledge regarding Indian culture
and Hinduism
is disputed by Sheldon Cooper
. He is normally seen wearing a layered combination of a shirt and a vest
, khaki
s, and a jacket
. He wore a red cap only in the pilot episode.
All of the guys enjoy playing Halo
every Wednesday at Sheldon and Leonard's apartment and occasionally at Koothrappali's apartment.
They also play Age of Conan excessively, with Raj stating he has experienced gaming addiction.
In general terms, Raj is more patient with Sheldon
than Leonard
, Howard
, or Penny; however Sheldon is oblivious to this as he once cut him off as a friend.
Raj has a "nervous bladder
", meaning he gets an urge to relieve himself
when under stress
. This was shown when Penny
got angry at him, and when he accompanied Leonard to confront Kurt over some money Kurt owed Penny.
One of Raj's primary personality quirks is his tendency to act or speak inappropriately in according to the situation, especially when it is not called for, often earning him glares and negative remarks from the other characters. In the episode The Love Car Displacement, when Leonard and Penny are about to have sex in a hotel room, he walked into the room and slept in the room, oblivious to what he had just interrupted. Later in that episode, when called by Sheldon to speak, he joins in the argument between Howard and Bernadette though Sheldon had obviously hoped for him to salvage the conference's discussion about science.
Another recurring joke is how in his assimilation of American pop culture, Raj has developed a weakness for media that is more commonly consumed by females. Typically one of the boys will slander the media in question (examples include Eat, Pray, Love, The Notebook
and Sex and the City
) and Raj will eagerly put a word in to defend it, usually through an exasperated Howard since it is normally Penny or Bernadette who brings up the topic. Their bickering only accentuates the homosexual undertones between him and Howard.
When hanging out with the guys, despite his particular Indian accent, Raj is noted for using slang
("fo' shizzle") and excessively using the word "dude". While he seems to speak fluent Hindi
, his mother tongue is English.
and inability to speak around women, which is a recognized medical condition known as selective mutism
. In the show, this was alluded to by Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, Leonard's
mother. Raj is able to speak in the presence of women only when they are part of a crowd
, if he has been drinking alcohol (or thinks he has been), is under influence of drugs, or if he is unaware of their presence. He notes, however, that this is an improvement over his previous affliction, in which the presence of women would cause him to lose bladder control. Additionally, he has no problem speaking to his mother or sisters, or any female relatives
Since many of the scenes involve Penny
, when Penny is around, Raj remains silent until she leaves, or alternatively he whisper
s what he wants to say to Howard
, who then repeats his words or responds to his question out loud. One time during a conversation, Raj accidentally uttered a few words ("good story") much to the surprise of his friends, but he immediately realized Penny was there and he shut his mouth promptly and covered it with both hands. A recurring gag is for Raj to find himself left all alone when his friends make plans to go somewhere, his selective mutism forbidding him from speaking up to join in. Sheldon once called Penny nearby while having an argument with Raj in order to make him stop talking.
Alcohol appears to suppress Raj's social anxiety
, since he is capable of prolonged conversations with women after drinking even a tiny amount. Eating a bite of rum cake once proved sufficient to overcome his problem. However, it also tends to make him loud and obnoxious. When the main characters took a train to an academic conference
in San Francisco, Raj was able to talk to Summer Glau
(playing herself) while drinking beer
. However, when Leonard discovered that the beer was non-alcoholic and that Raj was under a placebo effect
, Howard used this to his advantage, resulting in Raj returning to his usual mute self.
Raj has also experimented with medications that suppress social anxiety
, but they tend to have side effects
. When Sheldon's sister Missy comes to visit, Raj takes a drug that enables him to talk to Penny and Missy with no problem, but results in involuntary repetitive hand motions. In a recent episode, Raj considers taking a presumably different drug of similar nature, but worries that the drug might affect his rationality. Sheldon encourages him to take the drug, and he does so in a coffee shop. The drug enables him to speak to a woman at a nearby table with no problem, but it ultimately results in him jovially stripping naked in the middle of the coffee shop without seeming to notice.
. When they become meddling or judgmental, he "brings his parents" into Leonard and Sheldon's apartment via his laptop
. In the Season 2 finale, Mrs. Koothrappali and Mrs. Wolowitz have an argument because the latter doesn't believe that there isn't a single Outback Steakhouse
restaurant in India.
A running gag
in the series is Raj portraying himself as having come from humble origins and growing up in poverty
in India
, only for his friends to remind him that his father is a gynaecologist, drives a Bentley
(which he protests was a "lease"), and had servants growing up. In the episode "The Wiggly Finger Catalyst," Sheldon (who is a Notary Public
), reveals that Raj's family is a lot wealthier than he lets on (he says that it is "halfway between Bruce Wayne and Scrooge McDuck
").
Raj's cousin, Sanjay (or, as he says his friends know him as "Dave from AT&T Customer Service"), works in a call centre
, and is mentioned in a number of episodes. Once, Raj was seen trying to avoid going back to India for his cousin's wedding
, since Raj's parents had once more arranged a date for him.
Another of Raj's cousins, named Venkatesh, is a lawyer that has poor negotiation skills, even admitting that he himself is useless.
Raj has three brothers and two sisters. Raj's sister Priya has a one night stand with Leonard in Season 4, which leads to a brief fight between Leonard, Raj, and Howard for breaking the "pinky swear" they made about never trying to make a move with her. Later in the series, Priya and Leonard start a relationship, against Raj's wishes, which is also rather awkward as she is living with Raj at the time. In the Season 4 finale, Raj also had to temporarily move into Sheldon's apartment after overhearing Leonard using Star Trek references as sex metaphors to his sister.
object size distribution.
For his discovery of a planetary object beyond the Kuiper belt, , which he named "Planet
Bollywood
", Raj was included in People
magazine's "30 (Visionaries) Under 30 (Years of Age) to Watch", received a larger office, and became a celebrity of sorts, drawing the envy of his friends.
After six months of failed research on the composition of trans-Neptunian object
s, Raj feared the prospect of being deported
back to India (at which point he describes spending his time at work as "mostly checking e-mail and messing up Wikipedia entries"). To stay in the country, he sought out a research position in stellar evolution
with Professor
Laughlin; the job proposition failed as the research team included an attractive female, and Raj accidentally drank a little too much and made a sexually explicit comment. Raj ended up working alongside Sheldon
"exploring the string theory
implications of gamma ray
s from dark matter annihilations". Ironically, he noted once before wanting to be the "Indira Gandhi
of particle astrophysics
(except with a penis)".
than the more sexually aggressive Howard. He once dated Lalita Gupta, a childhood friend, in an arrangement made by his parents. With Raj only able to speak to her under the influence of alcohol
, the date went badly and Lalita left the drunk and obnoxious Raj to have dinner with Sheldon
.
When Raj was invited to People
magazine's reception
, he became drunk again and presented Penny
to his parents (via webcam
) as his girlfriend
. Later, he had to apologize
to Penny for his behavior. Although he tried apologizing through a written note, Penny forced him to utter a barely audible "sorry".
Raj also sought to date Sheldon's attractive fraternal twin sister, Missy. To do so, he took an experimental drug to correct his anxiety disorder
. However, he was unable to ask her out as the effect of the medication wore off.
When Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj were on a train to San Francisco, the latter three tried talking to Summer Glau
. After drinking what he thought was a beer, Raj talked to Summer, being flirty and smooth and she took a liking to him. When Howard pointed out that his beer was non-alcoholic, Raj stopped in the middle of his conversation, was embarrassed and rushed away from Summer without saying any more.
Raj revealed that he has a girlfriend while in the comic book store, after Leonard claimed that the two of them were the only ones without them. She has never appeared in the show, but he claims that she is deaf so his inability to speak with women isn't an issue. Raj has a crush on Howard's girlfriend, Bernadette, and is visibly unhappy when she accepts Howard's marriage proposal.
Despite both being ostensibly heterosexual, Raj and Howard
often act like they are in a homosexual relationship. This was described by Leonard's mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, as an "ersatz
homosexual marriage". Even Raj's parents are aware of this, as Raj's mother once noted "the closest thing we have to a daughter-in-law is that Jewish boy Howard!", which an alarmed Raj quickly denied. Despite the denials, Raj amusingly still takes up a cliché "female" role in many arguments with Howard, accusing him repeatedly of running off for every slightly better looking person.
In the 2011 season 4 finale, Penny and Raj spend the night together, during which time they both get drunk and, despite agreeing to remain good friends, end up in bed together . The next morning, both are ashamed and embarrassed and agree to pretend it never happened, but are caught by Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard as they try to leave causing Penny to think about moving back to Nebraska . In the opening episode of season 5, Raj revealed to Penny that they did not have sex, instead Raj ejaculated prematurely and they fell asleep. However, Penny promised not to tell the guys.
Later in season 5, Penny thought she found the perfect match for Raj by hooking him up with a woman who was deaf. However, it turns out she only liked Raj for his money and left him when she found out his parents would cut his financial ties if they continued to see each other.
around women is inspired by a former co-worker of Prady. Originally the character was called "Dave", and was an American born to Indian parents. However, this was changed when Nayyar was given the role, because he was "so Indian".
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(born October 6) is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
, portrayed by actor Kunal Nayyar
Kunal Nayyar
Kunal Nayyar is an Indian actor born in London, England, and raised in New Delhi, India. He is known for his role as Rajesh Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.-Education:...
.
Rajesh is Howard Wolowitz
Howard Wolowitz
Howard Joel Wolowitz, M.Eng is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg.Among the main male characters in the show, Howard is distinguished for lacking a doctoral degree, for still living with his mother, and for believing himself to...
's (Simon Helberg
Simon Helberg
Simon Maxwell Helberg is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Howard Wolowitz in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In its fourth season, he also appeared on the sketch comedy series MADtv for five episodes...
) best friend and one of the central characters of the show. He works as an astrophysicist in the Physics Department at Caltech. His principal characteristic is a case of selective mutism
Selective mutism
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which a person, most often a child, who is normally capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations, or to specific people...
which does not allow him to talk to women outside of his family.
Personality
Rajesh, who is normally called Raj or by his surname Koothrappali, is from New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, yet despises Indian food, and his knowledge regarding Indian culture
Culture of India
India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless possess a commonality....
and Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
is disputed by Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D. is a fictional character from Texas on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Jim Parsons...
. He is normally seen wearing a layered combination of a shirt and a vest
Vest
A vest is a garment covering the upper body. The term has different meanings around the world:Waistcoat :. This is called a waistcoat in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, or a vest in the US and Canada. It is often worn as part of formal attire, or as the third piece of a lounge...
, khaki
Khaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
s, and a jacket
Jacket
A jacket is a hip- or waist-length garment for the upper body. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which is outerwear...
. He wore a red cap only in the pilot episode.
All of the guys enjoy playing Halo
Halo (series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
every Wednesday at Sheldon and Leonard's apartment and occasionally at Koothrappali's apartment.
They also play Age of Conan excessively, with Raj stating he has experienced gaming addiction.
In general terms, Raj is more patient with Sheldon
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D. is a fictional character from Texas on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Jim Parsons...
than Leonard
Leonard Hofstadter
Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, Ph.D., is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Johnny Galecki. Leonard is an experimental physicist from New Jersey who shares an apartment with colleague and best friend Sheldon Cooper...
, Howard
Howard Wolowitz
Howard Joel Wolowitz, M.Eng is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg.Among the main male characters in the show, Howard is distinguished for lacking a doctoral degree, for still living with his mother, and for believing himself to...
, or Penny; however Sheldon is oblivious to this as he once cut him off as a friend.
Raj has a "nervous bladder
Urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence is any involuntary leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a profound impact on quality of life. Urinary incontinence almost always results from an underlying treatable medical condition but is under-reported to medical practitioners...
", meaning he gets an urge to relieve himself
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
when under stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
. This was shown when Penny
Penny (The Big Bang Theory)
Penny is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by American actress Kaley Cuoco.Penny is the main female character on the show. She is Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper's neighbor across the hallway, and the main love interest of Leonard...
got angry at him, and when he accompanied Leonard to confront Kurt over some money Kurt owed Penny.
One of Raj's primary personality quirks is his tendency to act or speak inappropriately in according to the situation, especially when it is not called for, often earning him glares and negative remarks from the other characters. In the episode The Love Car Displacement, when Leonard and Penny are about to have sex in a hotel room, he walked into the room and slept in the room, oblivious to what he had just interrupted. Later in that episode, when called by Sheldon to speak, he joins in the argument between Howard and Bernadette though Sheldon had obviously hoped for him to salvage the conference's discussion about science.
Another recurring joke is how in his assimilation of American pop culture, Raj has developed a weakness for media that is more commonly consumed by females. Typically one of the boys will slander the media in question (examples include Eat, Pray, Love, The Notebook
The Notebook
The Notebook is a 1996 romantic novel by American novelist Nicholas Sparks, based on a true story. The novel was later adapted into a popular romance film by the same name in 2004.-Background:...
and Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
) and Raj will eagerly put a word in to defend it, usually through an exasperated Howard since it is normally Penny or Bernadette who brings up the topic. Their bickering only accentuates the homosexual undertones between him and Howard.
When hanging out with the guys, despite his particular Indian accent, Raj is noted for using slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
("fo' shizzle") and excessively using the word "dude". While he seems to speak fluent Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, his mother tongue is English.
Indian English
Indian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...
Selective mutism
Raj's principal characteristic is his shynessShyness
In humans, shyness is a social psychology term used to describe the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness experienced when a person is in proximity to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar people...
and inability to speak around women, which is a recognized medical condition known as selective mutism
Selective mutism
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which a person, most often a child, who is normally capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations, or to specific people...
. In the show, this was alluded to by Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, Leonard's
Leonard Hofstadter
Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, Ph.D., is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Johnny Galecki. Leonard is an experimental physicist from New Jersey who shares an apartment with colleague and best friend Sheldon Cooper...
mother. Raj is able to speak in the presence of women only when they are part of a crowd
Crowd
A crowd is a large and definable group of people, while "the crowd" is referred to as the so-called lower orders of people in general...
, if he has been drinking alcohol (or thinks he has been), is under influence of drugs, or if he is unaware of their presence. He notes, however, that this is an improvement over his previous affliction, in which the presence of women would cause him to lose bladder control. Additionally, he has no problem speaking to his mother or sisters, or any female relatives
Since many of the scenes involve Penny
Penny (The Big Bang Theory)
Penny is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by American actress Kaley Cuoco.Penny is the main female character on the show. She is Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper's neighbor across the hallway, and the main love interest of Leonard...
, when Penny is around, Raj remains silent until she leaves, or alternatively he whisper
Whispering
Whispering is an unvoiced mode of phonation in which the vocal cords do not vibrate normally but are instead adducted sufficiently to create audible turbulence as the speaker exhales during speech. This is a somewhat greater adduction than that found in breathy voice...
s what he wants to say to Howard
Howard Wolowitz
Howard Joel Wolowitz, M.Eng is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg.Among the main male characters in the show, Howard is distinguished for lacking a doctoral degree, for still living with his mother, and for believing himself to...
, who then repeats his words or responds to his question out loud. One time during a conversation, Raj accidentally uttered a few words ("good story") much to the surprise of his friends, but he immediately realized Penny was there and he shut his mouth promptly and covered it with both hands. A recurring gag is for Raj to find himself left all alone when his friends make plans to go somewhere, his selective mutism forbidding him from speaking up to join in. Sheldon once called Penny nearby while having an argument with Raj in order to make him stop talking.
Alcohol appears to suppress Raj's social anxiety
Social anxiety
Social anxiety is anxiety about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people...
, since he is capable of prolonged conversations with women after drinking even a tiny amount. Eating a bite of rum cake once proved sufficient to overcome his problem. However, it also tends to make him loud and obnoxious. When the main characters took a train to an academic conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
in San Francisco, Raj was able to talk to Summer Glau
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...
(playing herself) while drinking beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. However, when Leonard discovered that the beer was non-alcoholic and that Raj was under a placebo effect
Placebo effect
Placebo effect may refer to:* Placebo effect, the tendency of any medication or treatment, even an inert or ineffective one, to exhibit results simply because the recipient believes that it will work...
, Howard used this to his advantage, resulting in Raj returning to his usual mute self.
Raj has also experimented with medications that suppress social anxiety
Social anxiety
Social anxiety is anxiety about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people...
, but they tend to have side effects
Side Effects
Side Effects is an anthology of 17 comical short stories written by Woody Allen between 1975 and 1980, all but one of which were previously published in, variously, The New Republic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Kenyon Review. It includes Allen's 1978 O...
. When Sheldon's sister Missy comes to visit, Raj takes a drug that enables him to talk to Penny and Missy with no problem, but results in involuntary repetitive hand motions. In a recent episode, Raj considers taking a presumably different drug of similar nature, but worries that the drug might affect his rationality. Sheldon encourages him to take the drug, and he does so in a coffee shop. The drug enables him to speak to a woman at a nearby table with no problem, but it ultimately results in him jovially stripping naked in the middle of the coffee shop without seeming to notice.
Family
Raj regularly communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. V.M. Koothrappali back in India via webcamWebcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
. When they become meddling or judgmental, he "brings his parents" into Leonard and Sheldon's apartment via his laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
. In the Season 2 finale, Mrs. Koothrappali and Mrs. Wolowitz have an argument because the latter doesn't believe that there isn't a single Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
restaurant in India.
A running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
in the series is Raj portraying himself as having come from humble origins and growing up in poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, only for his friends to remind him that his father is a gynaecologist, drives a Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
(which he protests was a "lease"), and had servants growing up. In the episode "The Wiggly Finger Catalyst," Sheldon (who is a Notary Public
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
), reveals that Raj's family is a lot wealthier than he lets on (he says that it is "halfway between Bruce Wayne and Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
").
Raj's cousin, Sanjay (or, as he says his friends know him as "Dave from AT&T Customer Service"), works in a call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
, and is mentioned in a number of episodes. Once, Raj was seen trying to avoid going back to India for his cousin's wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
, since Raj's parents had once more arranged a date for him.
Another of Raj's cousins, named Venkatesh, is a lawyer that has poor negotiation skills, even admitting that he himself is useless.
Raj has three brothers and two sisters. Raj's sister Priya has a one night stand with Leonard in Season 4, which leads to a brief fight between Leonard, Raj, and Howard for breaking the "pinky swear" they made about never trying to make a move with her. Later in the series, Priya and Leonard start a relationship, against Raj's wishes, which is also rather awkward as she is living with Raj at the time. In the Season 4 finale, Raj also had to temporarily move into Sheldon's apartment after overhearing Leonard using Star Trek references as sex metaphors to his sister.
Work
Raj is an astrophysicist in the Physics Department at Caltech, being known for a noted publication on Kuiper beltKuiper belt
The Kuiper belt , sometimes called the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt, is a region of the Solar System beyond the planets extending from the orbit of Neptune to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, although it is far larger—20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive...
object size distribution.
For his discovery of a planetary object beyond the Kuiper belt, , which he named "Planet
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...
Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
", Raj was included in People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine's "30 (Visionaries) Under 30 (Years of Age) to Watch", received a larger office, and became a celebrity of sorts, drawing the envy of his friends.
After six months of failed research on the composition of trans-Neptunian object
Trans-Neptunian object
A trans-Neptunian object is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater distance on average than Neptune.The first trans-Neptunian object to be discovered was Pluto in 1930...
s, Raj feared the prospect of being deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
back to India (at which point he describes spending his time at work as "mostly checking e-mail and messing up Wikipedia entries"). To stay in the country, he sought out a research position in stellar evolution
Stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
with Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Laughlin; the job proposition failed as the research team included an attractive female, and Raj accidentally drank a little too much and made a sexually explicit comment. Raj ended up working alongside Sheldon
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D. is a fictional character from Texas on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Jim Parsons...
"exploring the string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
implications of gamma ray
Gamma ray
Gamma radiation, also known as gamma rays or hyphenated as gamma-rays and denoted as γ, is electromagnetic radiation of high frequency . Gamma rays are usually naturally produced on Earth by decay of high energy states in atomic nuclei...
s from dark matter annihilations". Ironically, he noted once before wanting to be the "Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
of particle astrophysics
Astroparticle physics
Astroparticle physics, the same as particle astrophysics, is that branch of particle physics that studies elementary particles of astronomical origin, and their relation to astrophysics and cosmology. It is a relatively new field of research emerging at the intersection of particle physics,...
(except with a penis)".
Relationships
Raj has not been involved in any lasting romantic relationship, mostly due to his inability to speak to women. However he is much more successful in casual sexCasual sex
Casual sex or hooking up refers to certain types of human sexual activity outside the context of a romantic relationship. The term is not always used consistently: some use it to refer to any extramarital sex, some use it to refer to sex in a casual relationship, whereas others reserve its use for...
than the more sexually aggressive Howard. He once dated Lalita Gupta, a childhood friend, in an arrangement made by his parents. With Raj only able to speak to her under the influence of alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, the date went badly and Lalita left the drunk and obnoxious Raj to have dinner with Sheldon
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D. is a fictional character from Texas on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Jim Parsons...
.
When Raj was invited to People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine's reception
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
, he became drunk again and presented Penny
Penny (The Big Bang Theory)
Penny is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by American actress Kaley Cuoco.Penny is the main female character on the show. She is Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper's neighbor across the hallway, and the main love interest of Leonard...
to his parents (via webcam
Webcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
) as his girlfriend
Girlfriend
Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-romantic friend that is closer than other friends....
. Later, he had to apologize
Regret (emotion)
Regret is a negative conscious and emotional reaction to personal past acts and behaviors. Regret is often expressed by the term "sorry." Regret is often felt when someone feels sadness, shame, embarrassment, depression, annoyance or guilt after committing an action or actions that the person later...
to Penny for his behavior. Although he tried apologizing through a written note, Penny forced him to utter a barely audible "sorry".
Raj also sought to date Sheldon's attractive fraternal twin sister, Missy. To do so, he took an experimental drug to correct his anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety. Conditions now considered anxiety disorders only came under the aegis of psychiatry at the end of the 19th century. Gelder, Mayou & Geddes explains that anxiety disorders are...
. However, he was unable to ask her out as the effect of the medication wore off.
When Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj were on a train to San Francisco, the latter three tried talking to Summer Glau
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...
. After drinking what he thought was a beer, Raj talked to Summer, being flirty and smooth and she took a liking to him. When Howard pointed out that his beer was non-alcoholic, Raj stopped in the middle of his conversation, was embarrassed and rushed away from Summer without saying any more.
Raj revealed that he has a girlfriend while in the comic book store, after Leonard claimed that the two of them were the only ones without them. She has never appeared in the show, but he claims that she is deaf so his inability to speak with women isn't an issue. Raj has a crush on Howard's girlfriend, Bernadette, and is visibly unhappy when she accepts Howard's marriage proposal.
Despite both being ostensibly heterosexual, Raj and Howard
Howard Wolowitz
Howard Joel Wolowitz, M.Eng is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg.Among the main male characters in the show, Howard is distinguished for lacking a doctoral degree, for still living with his mother, and for believing himself to...
often act like they are in a homosexual relationship. This was described by Leonard's mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, as an "ersatz
Ersatz
Ersatz means 'substituting for, and typically inferior in quality to', e.g. 'chicory is ersatz coffee'. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement...
homosexual marriage". Even Raj's parents are aware of this, as Raj's mother once noted "the closest thing we have to a daughter-in-law is that Jewish boy Howard!", which an alarmed Raj quickly denied. Despite the denials, Raj amusingly still takes up a cliché "female" role in many arguments with Howard, accusing him repeatedly of running off for every slightly better looking person.
In the 2011 season 4 finale, Penny and Raj spend the night together, during which time they both get drunk and, despite agreeing to remain good friends, end up in bed together . The next morning, both are ashamed and embarrassed and agree to pretend it never happened, but are caught by Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard as they try to leave causing Penny to think about moving back to Nebraska . In the opening episode of season 5, Raj revealed to Penny that they did not have sex, instead Raj ejaculated prematurely and they fell asleep. However, Penny promised not to tell the guys.
Later in season 5, Penny thought she found the perfect match for Raj by hooking him up with a woman who was deaf. However, it turns out she only liked Raj for his money and left him when she found out his parents would cut his financial ties if they continued to see each other.
Creation and casting
Raj did not appear in the original, unaired pilot of the series, where only Sheldon, Leonard and a much different version of the Penny character, called Katie, were present. The test audiences reacted negatively to Katie, but liked Sheldon and Leonard. In the new pilot, Raj and Howard were added. Series co-creator Bill Prady stated: "The idea was, if they like these first two guys, let’s give them two more". Rajesh's social anxietySocial anxiety
Social anxiety is anxiety about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people...
around women is inspired by a former co-worker of Prady. Originally the character was called "Dave", and was an American born to Indian parents. However, this was changed when Nayyar was given the role, because he was "so Indian".
See also
- List of characters in The Big Bang Theory
- List of The Big Bang Theory episodes