Rajendar Desai

Rajender was born on Perry Rd, in Bandra, Bombay on June 30, 1929. He was the fourteenth and youngest child of Dr. Umedram Lalbhai Desai and the sixth child of Gunobati Mitter Desai. He was the only child who was delivered at home by his father. Rajender was seventeen months old when his father passed away on 30 November 1930. Rajender was the son of a wealthy and renowed doctor but he did not benefit from that since his father his family left them destitute and without much money. He survived because of his resourceful mother. After the death of his father, his mother Gunobati moved the children from Bombay to Umrath, where Dr. Desai ran a mental asylum by the sea. She stayed in Umrath for about a month and n the advice of Satyabala Devi, the second wife of Dr. Desai, Gunobati and the 6 children went to her brother Ridhoy Ranjan Mitter’s house in Calcutta. Ridhoy Ranjan and his wife treated the whole family very badly. Rajender, who was a baby did not have enough milk to drink at night and would often eat hard toast. Gunobati and the children stayed in Calcutta for one year. In 1931, they moved back to Umrath. Gunobati continued to run the mental asylum in Umrath but with limited patients. She tutored the 3 younger children at home and they were later sent to a local Gujarati schools in Umrath. Rajender ran away to his step-brother, Gandabhai Desai’s house in Vyara once. They sent him back reluntantly to Umrath after taking very good care of him for a month In the late 1930s, Rajender left Umrath and went to Rajkot with his mother and sisters Dolly and Noni. In Rajkot, he and his family stayed with Kamala who was training to be the principal of the Irish Presbyterian School. But Kamala decided that she did not want to be the principal of the school and they all moved to Bombay where they stayed for a short time with Leela Desai in Rahat Villa on Marine Drive. Leela Desai was Rajender’s step sister and a very famous actress in the 1940s. Kamala and Ramola then rented a large house in Villeparle in Bombay and the whole family moved there. The three older children supported the family. Victor joined the navy and Kamala and Ramola worked as secretaries in Bombay. Rajender was almost 10 years old. In 1946, Rajender moved with his family to Calcutta. Noni stayed behind in Bombay and married Mr. Sinha and eventually had a daughter named Kuku. In 1947 Ramola married Sqnd Ldr. Saidul Islam who was in the Royal Indian Air Force. In 1948, Ramola and her husband moved to Dacca, East Pakistan. In 1949 Dolly married Sqnd Ldr. Maxwell Christopher Roy was also in the Royal Pakistan Air Force. In 1949, Ramola moved to Karachi and Rajender joined the Royal Pakistan Air Force in Karachi with the assistance of his brother-in-law Sqnd Ldr. Saidul Islam who was a recruiting officer. In May 1956, Rajender completed his Intermediate Arts at the Air Force. He also completed a Senior Trade and Management course at the Ground Instructor School in Karachi. Rajender worked for the Pakistan Air Force for 24 years. He became a chief technician. In 1973, he retired with the rank of Sergeant. After his retirement, he worked for the police for a very short time. In 1976, he joined Pakistan Steel where he worked as a crane operator. He was among the first workers who established Pakistan Steel. He operated a tower crane at the Pakistan Steel Products Stores. He was a very devoted and hard worker. He retired from Pakistan Steel after working there for 13 years. Meanwhile, in 1963 Rajender married Dorothy – a Christian lady from Karachi. They had 3 children – Salim, Onil and Pervez. Dorothy left Rajender and he raised his 3 sons all by himself. His son Onil passed away at an early age due to a heart problem on Dec.8, 1987. After he retired from Pakistan Steel he continued to live with his son Pervez. To supplement his pension, he became a tutor and taught English and Mathematics. He was also a very good chess and draft player. In 2003 he became seriously ill with prostate cancer. They operated on him twice at the Taj Medical Complex in Karachi and he recovered. In 2006, he became sick for a second time. He could not digest his food and vomited everything he ate. He also became very depressed after his sister Ramola died and he was very anxious to see his sister Kamala in India. He always remembered his sisters Kamala and Ramola. He died at home on September 10, 2006 in Karachi. He is buried in Karachi close to his best friend. He died in the presence of his son Pervez and his family. He left behind his 2 sons, Saleem and Pervez and their wives and 6 grandchildren.