Latest news with #Romesh
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Romesh Ranganathan opens up about turbulent childhood as dad sent to jail for fraud
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan has opened up about his teenage years as his life was turned upside down when his father went to prison. TV presenter and comedy star Romesh Ranganathan has recently opened up about his turbulent childhood when his father was sent to prison for two years for fraud. Opening up on Radio 4's show Desert Island Disc, the comedian shared how his life was completely turned upside down due to his father's actions. At the time of the imprisonment, Romesh was a teenager living in Crawley. He recalled that he was attending a private school at the time when he, his younger brother and mother were forced to move out of their family home and into a Bed and Breakfast. He said: "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 couldn't keep up the mortgage repayments on their house. And they couldn't afford, even with my scholarship, they still couldn't afford the fees at this school I was going to." To make matters worse, it soon became apparent that his father Ranga was having an affair, reports the Mirror. When is father disappeared for several days, Romesh recalled having to ask the "other women" where his dad was. In doing so, Romesh found out that his father had been arrested. He explained: "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." Speaking to Lauren Laverne, Romesh said that he remembered his mother crying during this period of time and that she managed to get a job as a cleaner to help provide for her sons. When his father did come back home after being imprisoned, Romesh said they were able to patch up their relationship over time. The 47-year-old 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. "I was like, I've never seen this side of my dad, and we're in a really good place. My memory of my dad is of like a flawed tornado." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Romesh also candidly spoke about his struggles with mental health on the Radio 4 show, admitting that he had thought about taking his own life more than once and saw it as a solution to his emotional turmoil. While he admits that he has experienced serious dark periods in this life, he has now learned how to manage those times. He touches on some of his experiences through his comedy shows, but he is aware that he needs to be careful about how far he goes. He explained: "You got to be careful because it's triggering. 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."
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Romesh Ranganathan reveals plans to 'step back' from career
Romesh Ranganathan is going to be 'taking a step back' from his career. Initially working as a mathematics teacher, Romesh then pursued a career in the entertainment industry. He's since become best known for appearing on shows including A League of Their Own, Taskmaster, and Have I Got News for You, as well as hosting The Weakest Link. However, after a decade on our screens, the 47-year-old has now revealed he wants to focus on spending more time with his family. This week Romesh was the guest on the latest episode of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where he spoke about his intense schedule. 'I know that people sort of say I'm busy and I'm always like, trying to work and stuff. There is no strategy. There's no game plan. I have no end game,' he told host Lauren Laverne. 'There's no vision board or anything like that. (I'm) just doing whatever feels good.' 'I do feel like I'm sort of settling into winding things up, like not winding things up, but I'm taking a step back,' he added. Romesh then discussed 'wanting to be at home a bit more' but that he wasn't calling time on his showbiz career. 'And by the way, this is not an announcement of retirement, but I do feel like, relatively recently, this is quite fortuitous that we're talking about this at the time that we are, because I have just hit this period of thinking I am probably going to just be a bit more measured in what I do going forward,' he explained. 'I think I might take a bigger break between bits. I've told you, I've not hit the thing yet, maybe this next thing could be it, but it's not going to be it if I don't go off and just live life.' In the interview Romesh also reflected on his past career, which he said was far more stressful than working in the entertainment industry. 'There wasn't a single day of that job that I didn't feel completely fulfilled,' he recalled. 'I felt very stressed. It's the most stressed I've ever been in my life actually. 'There's not been a single day of my comedy career that's even come close to the stress that I felt as a teacher. I cannot speak highly enough of teachers and teaching and how I loved that job.' Since appearing on Taskmaster and The Apprentice: You're Fired! In 2015, Romesh has fronted The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, Judge Romesh and Rob & Romesh Vs. He has been married to his wife Leesa since 2009. The couple first met when working at the same school in Crawley, where she was a drama teacher. They share three sons – Theo, Alex and Charlie. Earlier this year Romesh spoke about how he came 'very close to ending his life' as a teenager. More Trending 'When I was 18 or 19 years old, I feel like I came very close [to] ending my life,' he told Runners World UK. 'I just couldn't see the point in carrying on. I was super depressed. Then I started to do suicide ideation, where you start to fantasise about it. He went on to share that mental health was still 'something I am still aware of' and he had to 'stay on top of it'. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: The Ballad of Wallis Island's Carey Mulligan: 'I forced my way into the inside jokes' MORE: The 18-year journey of new movie dubbed 'one of the greatest British films ever' MORE: 11 years on, I'm still mourning comedy legend Rik Mayall
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC's Romesh Ranganathan makes major career announcement
The comedian, 47, has confirmed he is taking a step back from his TV career to 'be at home a bit more' Much-loved comedian Romesh Ranganathan has declared his intention to take a career break 'to be at home a bit more'. While insisting he's not leaving comedy for good, the 47-year-old stressed the need to slow down and 'just live life' for a while. "I know that people sort of say I'm busy and I'm always like, trying to work and stuff," he told Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "There is no strategy. There's no game plan. I have no endgame. "There's no vision board or anything like that. (I'm) just doing whatever feels good." He then added: "I do feel like I'm sort of settling into winding things up, like not winding things up, but I'm taking a step back." Romesh is famous for his Bafta-winning television series with comedian Rob Beckett, Rob and Romesh Vs. He has also appeared in several other television shows, including his own travel series, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, on the BBC. The 47-year-old from Crawley continued: "I want to be at home a bit more. And by the way, this is not an announcement of retirement, but I do feel like, relatively recently, this is quite fortuitous that we're talking about this at the time that we are, because I have just hit this period of thinking I am probably going to just be a bit more measured in what I do going forward. "I think I might take a bigger break between bits. I've told you, I've not hit the thing yet, maybe this next thing could be it, but it's not going to be it if I don't go off and just live life." In the discussion, Romesh also reminisced about his time as a math teacher prior to his present career. He even admitted that it was more stressful than his work in comedy. "There wasn't a single day of that job that I didn't feel completely fulfilled," he added. "I felt very stressed. It's the most stressed I've ever been in my life, actually. "There's not been a single day of my comedy career that's even come close to the stress that I felt as a teacher. I cannot speak highly enough of teachers and teaching and how I loved that job." Besides his stand-up routines, the comedian is the host of the game show The Weakest Link and appears in the BBC One sitcom Avoidance. He also appeared in BBC Three's Asian Provocateur, which highlighted his family heritage. Last year, he took over Claudia Winkleman's Saturday morning slot on BBC Radio 2 and hosts Romesh Ranganathan: For The Love Of Hip Hop on the same station.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Romesh Ranganathan's 'flawed tornado' dad was jailed for fraud when he was teen
Comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan has spoken of how his family's life was turned upside down when his father, Ranga, was sent to prison 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 couldn't keep up the mortgage repayments on their house. And they couldn't afford, even with my scholarship, they still couldn't afford the fees at this school I was going to.' 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. I was like, I've never seen this side of my dad, and we're in a really good place. My memory of my dad is of like a flawed 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 an announcement of retirement, but I do feel like, relatively recently, this is quite fortuitous that we're talking at the time that we are, because I have just hit this period of thinking I am probably going to just be a bit more measured in what I do going forward. And I think I might take, like, a bigger break between bits. A walk in the park could lead to my next stand-up idea. Who knows…I need to fill up my reserves.' His music choices on the show include tracks by Eminem, Public Enemy and Stevie Wonder.
India.com
16-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Meet man, who was born in Pakistan, studied in India, could barely walk due to Polio, but built a Rs 42500 crore empire, he is..., business is...
Romesh Wadhwani was born on August 25, 1947, just ten days after the Partition of India, in a Sindhi family in Karachi, now in Pakistan. Right after his birth, his family was forced to flee for their lives, leaving everything behind. They arrived in Delhi as refugees and had to start over from nothing. Despite these early hardships, today, at 78, Wadhwani is recognized as one of the world's leading tech entrepreneurs. Life was not very easy for Romesh as at the age of two, he was struck by polio which severely limited his ability to walk. But this did not stop him from dreaming big and achieving his goal. He was always bright student. He earned his BTech from IIT-Bombay and later moved to the United States in 1969 for higher studies. He got admission to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he completed his master's and later a PhD in electrical engineering. When Romesh landed in the US for his studies, he had only USD 2.50 in his pocket which is about Rs. 191 in today's value. However, with his hard work and determination, he managed to secure student loans, complete his education, and go on to build a successful business empire. Romesh launched his first company at 25 At the age of 25, Romesh Wadhwani launched his first company Compuguard Corporation in 1972. The company developed software for energy management and security systems in commercial buildings. This was during a time when the US was facing a major energy crisis, and the prices of oil and gas were skyrocketing. Over the next 10 years, he built the company into a USD 10 million business and eventually sold it. While most entrepreneurs in California's Silicon Valley were busy innovating personal computers, disk drives, and semiconductors, Romesh made one of the boldest moves of his life. He left everything behind in Pittsburgh and moved with his wife and four-year-old daughter to Silicon Valley. There, he started his third company and it changed everything. The company, Aspect Development, founded in 1991, became a massive success. In 1999, he sold it for a staggering USD 9.3 billion. In a career spanning over 50 years, Romesh Wadhwani has founded or led around 40 companies. Today, he runs the Symphony Technology Group, a private equity firm that controls 18 companies specializing in software, data, and artificial intelligence. The group generates more than USD 2.8 billion in annual revenue. Romesh Wadhwani's current net worth is estimated at USD 5 billion (around Rs.42,500 crore). He ranks 222nd on Forbes' list of the richest 400 people in the world.
