Raj Bhandarkar

Raj, a character in the Endless Summer series, is one of the college students who won a contest to spend a week at La Huerta. He is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 1.

Appearance
Raj has curly black hair, brown eyes, rotund structure and brown skin. He wears a blue checked shirt over a cranberry shirt. From Chapter 3 to Chapter 8, he wears a green shirt that says "Freshly Baked" on it. If you save him, then in Book 2, Chapter 1 (if he was saved in the end of Book 1), he wears a yellow shirt that says "Nug Life" with a chicken nugget in some dipping sauce on it. Starting from Book 3, Chapter 2, he wears a blue shirt with the numbers 4:20.

If he wasn't rescued in the end of Book 1, he doesn't wear a T-shirt underneath his blue checkered shirt, ties his hair in a man-bun, and has grown a beard and mustache.

Personality
Raj loves parties, food and taking drugs. Everett Rourke's file on him says he has an I.Q. of 178 but he believes this to be a typo due to Raj's stereotypical frat boy behavior. His Catalyst Idol shows that he actually is incredibly intelligent but no one believes him.

Book 1

 * Chapter 1: This Must Be Heaven
 * Chapter 2: We’ve All Got Secrets
 * Chapter 3: All Kinds of Crazy
 * Chapter 4: Cut and Run
 * Chapter 5: It’s What You’re Meant For (Off-Screen)
 * Chapter 6: The World Has a Habit of Crushing You
 * Chapter 7: Pies Make Peace
 * Chapter 8: You Always Have to be the Hero
 * Chapter 9: Out of the Frying Pan… Into the Fire
 * Chapter 11: Rock the Boat
 * Chapter 12: The Enemy Is Out There
 * Chapter 13: One of Us Isn’t Supposed to be Here
 * Chapter 14: Last Night on Earth
 * Chapter 15: It Was Not Meant to End Like This
 * Chapter 16: Here’s to Adventure

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: The Unknown Has Always Been a Comfort to Me (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
 * Chapter 2: Time Is of the Essence (Determinant)
 * Chapter 3: Those Left Behind (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
 * Chapter 4: Island Justice (Determinant)
 * Chapter 5: There Are Many Things I Keep Hidden
 * Chapter 6: You Can't Save Everyone
 * Chapter 7: Everything at Once
 * Chapter 8: Let's Promise We'll Do This Again
 * Chapter 9: Toward a New Horizon
 * Chapter 10: Every End is a Beginning... Except the Last One
 * Chapter 11: Trust is a Fragile Thing
 * Chapter 12: Last Chance to Turn Back
 * Chapter 13: All We Have is Now
 * Chapter 14: You Can't Promise Anything Anymore
 * Chapter 15: Self-Destruct

Book 3

 * Chapter 2: Tricks of the Trade
 * Chapter 3: What Doesn't Kill Us
 * Chapter 4: You've Come Into Your Own
 * Chapter 5: The More Things Change
 * Chapter 6: The Ties That Break
 * Chapter 7: Where I Needed You To Be
 * Chapter 8: You Are a Warrior
 * Chapter 9: All Our Yesterdays
 * Chapter 10: I Was Lost Until You Found Me
 * Chapter 11: Like There's No Tomorrow
 * Chapter 12: You Mean The World to Me

Your Character
Raj starts off liking your character, but depending on your future choices, Raj will change his feelings towards you. You can also assist him in preparing a feast, and prank him by using the microphone in Everett Rourke's mini office. If you have a high enough relationship with Raj by Chapter 15, he will risk his life to lure the Sabertooth Tiger away.

Craig
Craig and Raj appear to be close friends. In Book 2. Chapter 3, while the others are uneasy with Raj's unconventional hangover cure (which consists of bananas, oysters, eggs, potatoes and pickle juice), Craig is the only one who enjoys it. After reuniting in Book 3, Chapter 3 after the group had gotten separated at the end of Book 2, they embrace,

Trivia

 * His quote about food and t-shirts is likely a reference/play on Sherlock Holmes' quote in the Hound of the Baskervilles: "A loaf of bread and a clean collar. What does man want more?"
 * Raj is the only member of the group who neither had a romantic relationship prior to La Huerta nor, regardless of player decisions, builds one during the series.
 * At the beginning when you meet Raj, he already has a positive opinion about you alongside with Lila. Only Diego has a very positive opinion about you (as you are best friends with him), and everyone else is at neutral or less.
 * Raj is the first Choices character to be depicted as being plus-sized.
 * Raj has a very high I.Q. of 178, which means he is a genius.
 * Raj is a talented mixologist.
 * It was revealed in Book 1, Chapter 7 that Raj was part of Chi Sigma Alpha (most likely a fraternity) and an acapella group at Hartfeld before the trip to La Huerta.
 * His Hadean Zodiac sign is Centaurus, the Centaur, (as his star is Proxima Centauri). Several characters in-universe have trouble recalling the difference between Centaurus and Sagittarius (potentially including the Endless).
 * His last name implies that he is of South Asian ancestry.
 * The Centaurus Catalyst Idol reveals that even though Raj is exceptionally intelligent, no one believes it, even his closest friends. His party boy image is cultivated partly because no one believes anything else about him. The flash forward shows him being shot by a Speargun by Everett Rourke after refusing to cook and serve the Fox to him. It is later revealed that this happened in a past timeline. In a different timeline, both he and Michelle were killed during Cetus's attack on Elyystel.
 * He became friends with Craig, Sean, and Michelle before the start of the series.
 * His Ember of Hope shows a future where he hosts a cooking show called "Bhandarkar Fills Bellies" (with Craig joining him as his guest) and is often consulted by celebrities to cater their parties.
 * Of all the characters in Endless Summer, Raj has the highest number of clothing changes.
 * The writing for Raj's character is inspired by the song, Three Little Birds by Bob Marley