Romesh Ranganathan, a comedian and TV presenter, has described how Ranga’s family life was turned around when his father, Ranga, was imprisoned for fraud.
Comedian and TV star Romesh Ranganathan has recalled how his perfect upbringing was turned upside down when his dad Ranga who was imprisoned for fraud. Romesh was a teenager living in Crawley at the time and attending private school, when he and his younger brother and mother were forced to move out of the family home and live in a Bed & Breakfast for some time. Romesh recalled: “My dad had fallen into financial trouble. What it turns out is that he’d lost his job and he was trying to make money in this sort of Sri Lankan Del Boy way, and it wasn’t working out.
And he was unable to make their house’s mortgage payments. And they were unable to afford the tuition at the school I was enrolling in, even with my scholarship.
Matters came to a head when it became apparent Ranga had also been having an affair and when he disappeared for several days, Romesh was tasked with asking the ‘other women’ where his dad was, on behalf of his anxious mother. Romesh said: “She tells us that my dad had been arrested three days previously, and he had been involved in some sort of fraud case. I don’t know why we’d not heard, why he’d not got in touch, but this lady knew. “He ended up going to prison for two years, or just under two years. You know, I remember my dad being convicted and going to prison the day before my birthday. I think it’s my 15th birthday. And so my friends are having a party for me. I just went and pretended that wasn’t going on because you want some normalcy. “Because for a while, we moved out of the house, and then a counsellor gave us a room in a bed and breakfast.” Romesh told Lauren Laverne on Desert Island Discs that he would regularly hear his mum crying in this period, and she managed to provide for her sons by getting a job as a cleaner. His father did come back to the family home when he was released from prison and they patched up their relationship over time. Romesh said: “On my dad’s 60th birthday, by that time, our relationship had really kind of improved. I’d had kids at that point, and I saw the way that my dad was being with my children.
We are in a really good place, and I was like, “I’ve never seen this side of my dad.” My dad’s memory recalls resembles a torn tornado.
His parents came to the UK from Sri Lanka and Romesh pays tribute to his mother Sivashanthini – known as Shanthi – who kept the family together during his father’s absence. Romesh admits that he didn’t appreciate the sacrifices she made at the time.
Shanthi has since gone on to appear alongside her son on television where she has proved to be a funny and observant sidekick. Romesh believes his late father would have been proud of Shanthi’s role as, what he laughingly describes as, “one of the safest hands in British comedy.”
He speaks openly on the Radio 4 programme about his struggles with mental health which started around the time he took his A-Levels. He tells Lauren that he has thought about taking his own life more than once and explains that he saw it as a solution to his emotional turmoil. He reveals that he’s experienced serious dark periods at several points during his life but has learned how to manage those times. He says that he talks about the experiences he has been through on stage but explains that talking about it comes with responsibility. “You got to be careful because it’s triggering,” he said. “I’m trying to destigmatise (mental health) but you do also have to be mindful of the fact that people may have been affected by that and then if I suddenly say I had thoughts about taking my own life and somebody’s lost someone through that or they’ve had those moments themselves, you have to be sensitive to that and you don’t always get it right but I think the rewards outweigh the risks.” Rarely off screen, Romesh has presented travel programmes and documentaries, starred in his own sitcom and hosts the Weakest Link on BBC One. He also presents Radio Two’s Saturday morning show and another weekly Radio Two programme in which he shares his love of hip hop music, which make up many of his choices when it comes to Desert Island Discs.
Romesh addressed his reputation for having a busy workload, he says there is no game plan, he just does “whatever feels good”. He reveals that he is thinking about taking, what he calls, a step back. Romesh added: “I want to be at home a bit more.”
“And by the way, this is not a retirement announcement, but I do feel like, relatively recently, this is quite unexpected that we are talking at this time because I have just entered a period of thought where I will probably just be a little more measured in what I do going forward. And I believe I might make a bigger break between bits.
My next stand-up idea might be the result of a stroll through the park. Who knows, I need to replenish my reserves? Eminem, Public Enemy, and Stevie Wonder are among his music selections on the show.
On Radio 4 and BBC Sounds today (Sunday) on Desert Island Discs and Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, you can hear the full interview with Romesh and his song choices.
Source: Mirror
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