"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love,"
Corinthians 13:13
Obituary
Rajendra Ranjaya, better know as Raj or Rajen to family and friends , passed away unexpectedly on August 10, 2022, at the age of 67 in his home at Cap Malheureux in Mauritius. He was surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren, all of his brothers, their wives and families and many more before being buried that same day in the plot with his parents and brothers at Belmont Cemetary, as he had always invisaged.
Born on the 10th of April 1955 Rajen grew up at L’Esperance Trebuchet, Poudre D’or Hamlet with his parents and brothers. Their home was an old sugar mill that had been converted by his father, Sowana Ranjaya. They had lots of extended family in neighbouring homes in the village and throughout Mauritius. Raj would share stories of walking to school without shoes, helping with chores from a young age and reading by candlelight. To fund his secondary education he had to earn money through jobs like loading trucks. He loved to read and had a thirst for knowledge including developing practical skills.
In 1975 Raj set off to Glasgow to start his nurse training. Here he met and married his beautiful wife, Jayentee, although they had met already as children in Telugu class. From here they moved to Devizes where they had two children. They worked hard to achieve their goals together and had many decades happily married. Rajen was very family orientated and ensured he maintained those bonds by flying his parents, in-laws and close family over to visit, he spent weekends visiting his cousins in London and other relatives regularly, as well as close friends they made along the way, wherever they moved to. Next was Mansfield. Here Raj was on the Nursing board and became one of the first health promotion officers in England. His job took him and his family to Cornwall. Their home was always open to loved ones and Raj took pride in organising day trips to visit landmarks, beaches and other places of interest.
Rajen was a man of many talents. He loved listening to music and had an eclectic collection. From chart music, to sega, hindi and bhojpuri songs. He could speak at least four languages fluently. He enjoyed watching general knowledge programmes and shouting answers at the tv. Scrabble and watching countdown were big hits in the home, as well as being sent to check words in the dictionary. Raj was not without his daily newspaper, always completing the crosswords, usually with the cryptic clues. He liked to bet on the horses, studying the odds and getting the whole family involved on Grand National Day.
He was brilliant at darts, frequenting social clubs for competitions and had a cabinet full of trophies at home. He was even banned from all the fairs for winning too many prizes. Raj was a confident driver. He actually passed his test the morning he got married, but drove all over the country and others, like France, meticulously planning his journeys with AtoZ’s and large folding maps with stops to sight see. He undertook many DIY projects himself and enjoyed to cook. Encouraging his children to do the same, while instilling in them values of integrity, hard work and compassion, often through quotes. “Education is the passport to the future” was one of his favourites. He felt so proud when both of his children achieved Grade 1 and more so when his youngest brother was the first in the family to graduate.
From his 30s Raj started to have health issues. They moved back to Mauritius in 1997 where he worked in the Ministry of Health, he used his experience and hard work to change national policies and laws. Rajen helped incorporate better health care systems and awareness. Throughout his career, be it in England or Mauritius, he continued to study and consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to the welfare and progress of his community. His dedication has made long-lasting positive impacts on healthcare regimes.
Raj moved back to the UK to rejoin his family , his home was where his wife was. He continued to work inspite of his deteriorating health. Raj and Mallah were later blessed with several grandsons from 2016. He loved them all dearly and took great pleasure in making them giggle by pulling funny faces.
Sadly a cancer diagnosis and treatment, on top of lockdowns prevented Raj from retiring in Mauritius as planned. Chronic pain and isolation took its toll on a once charismatic , full of life character. He became less social, but enjoyed the company of a select few. He also found comfort and filled his time watching tv and films. He had always liked well made programmes. In June 2022 Rajendra Ranjaya went back to his motherland and laid to rest months later. His legacy of service and goodwill will continue to inspire those he worked with. He will be remembered by many others for his kindness, devotion, intellect and love of a good single malt whiskey.
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When we heard that uncle Rajen had passed it was one of the saddest days in our lives. My first time meeting uncle and his family was a trip to Cornwall with my family in the 90s. My dad knew uncle back in their school days in Mauritius. He and the family took us everywhere and I consider these memories to be the utmost memorable of my childhood. As being kids me, my sister Tasha, Leanna and Jaysen would always find ourselves getting up to mischief and getting told off by the parents. I wouldn’t change this for the world. As our lives took different paths and we got older, seeing uncle and his family also reduced but we did see the family in Mauritius at one point. The last time we saw uncle was in 2018 when we took a family trip to Sheffield and it was just like the old days. We picked up as if we had seen them the other day and nothing had changed. I have many fond memories of uncle and his family despite him being unwell with his health. He was so upbeat and cracking jokes but also giving sound advice. We miss u uncle Rajen. I am sure u are up there dancing to some Sega track. Anyways, until we meet again. Lots of love Parman, Sheila, Tara and Natasha xxx
Love & lots of happy memories from Ratnam, Gianee & family x
We struggled but managed to support each other financially.
I left Mauritius in January 1974 and Rajen arrived in Scotland where he started his nurse training in July the same year.
I used to visit him in Scotland and we always had fun, joy and laughter. I attended a wedding in Cumbernauld in 1978 and we all drove from Devizes to Scotland and we shared the driving.(picture enclosed).
In Devizes Rajen was a guy who was respected by management and were very pleased by his work performance. Rajen was very keen in playing darts and he won several prizes.
Whilst working in Devizes I noticed that he was enjoying life, had a lot of friends and he was well respected in the community.
I remember my visits in summertime in Cornwall where he worked and lived.I always looked forward to spending time in Cornwall and my 2 daughters enjoyed themselves.
As far as I can remember Rajen was an ambitious man and always wanted to excel. Beside being a deputy charge nurse he also worked in health promotion in AIDS back in the 80s when it was a fundamentally a powerful subject. He was even interviewed on local radio and tv stations.
His health gradually deteriorated over time; he could not tolerate the cold weather but went to Mauritius with his family for a couple of years but returned to the UK as his children were over here studying.
Im glad he was able to home to Mauritius. I think of him constantly, he was like an older brother to me. I miss his presence,his sense of humour and the fun we had. I am sure he is resting in peace.
Also, I would always remember Uncle Rajen by how cool he was. When we were kids, he used to drive a Mazda car and he was very proud of that car. It looked great. At weddings or when the family used to meet up, that car made many people turn around( as we would say in creole.).
I hope you rest in peace, Uncle Rajen and that your family through your widow and kids, Leeana and Jaysen continue to prosper in the modern world and also in Mauritius.
P.S: Please find a picture of Jaysen, Uncle Rajen and me that my dad had clicked after my graduation in Sheffield.
I wish you the best heavenly birthday
Chrissy
Xx
I have so many fond memories to cherish from my childhood, quality time you spent to understand, teach and nurture me. Those games of scrabble and me saying my plan is wrecked has been a long standing joke!
You always had my back Dad, even as I grew up and made questionable choices.
I finally passed my driving test. I can imagine you having been not a great passenger! I often recall how you'd tap or hold the steering wheel.
When I think of you I often smile and sometimes feel sad, but I always feel glad you were my Dad and Tata to my boys.
I saw you as my hero as a child. There was nothing you couldn't fix and as I got older I've come to realise that you were just a man trying his best in this world, and you made it better, you've left your mark. I'm so proud of all the things you achieved and strive each day to do the same.
Thank you Dad. I love you and miss you.
Happy heavenly 70th birthday 💚💜
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