Family
Raj regularly communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. V.M. Koothrappali back in India via webcam. 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 gynecologist, drives a Bentley (which he protests was a "lease"), and had servants growing up (although he protests on one occasion there were only four servants and two of them were children). In the episode "The Wiggly Finger Catalyst," Sheldon (who is a Notary Public), reveals that Raj's family is wealthier than he lets on (he says they are "Richie Rich rich", which he explains is "halfway between Bruce Wayne and Scrooge McDuck").
Raj's cousin, Sanjay (or, as he says his friends know him, "Dave from AT&T Customer Service") works in a call centre, and is mentioned in a number of episodes. Raj is seen trying to avoid going back to India for his cousin's wedding, since Raj's parents had arranged a date for him.
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 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.
Read more about this topic: Rajesh Koothrappali
Famous quotes containing the word family:
“It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“Every family should extend First Amendment rights to all its members, but this freedom is particularly essential for our kids. Children must be able to say what they think, openly express their feelings, and ask for what they want and need if they are ever able to develop an integrated sense of self. They must be able to think their own thoughts, even if they differ from ours. They need to have the opportunity to ask us questions when they don’t understand what we mean.”
—Stephanie Martson (20th century)
“O how terrible it must be for a young man—
seated before a family and the family thinking
We never saw him before! He wants our Mary Lou!
After tea and homemade cookies they ask What do you do for a living”
—Gregory Corso (b. 1930)