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 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, 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 (if he was saved in the end of Book 1), he wears a blue shirt with the words 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.

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 save you from the Sabertooth Tiger.

Trivia

 * 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 co-hosts a cooking show called "Bhandarkar Fills Bellies" with Craig 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