This morning, I received a phone call which stated, in shocked tones, that Raj Jayaram had passed away. Now, Raj Jayaram is not that well known a player. But he has, through his good nature and many travels, touched many a heart.
His death was very sudden, apparently due to leukaemia, the knowledge of which must have been a bolt from the blue to his family.
They didn't even get the chance to engage in a fight against the disease as he passed away barely a couple of days after this diagnosis.
We present below a few eulogies to him shared by people who knew him.
Suraj Sonti
Raj was a wonderful bridge player who enjoyed studying the game, much as the academician he was in real life, after his career in banking.
He had just come back from a long teaching assignment in Mumbai. He was a very patient bridge teacher and I hope a part of him will live on in the bidding system that he taught me, which is one of the most systematic and well thought out that I have had the pleasure to play. We had the pleasure of winning the IMP Pairs in Coonoor last year.
He was a man of many other interests. He placed 3rd a couple of months ago in the Indian Crossword League, which he was passionate about. He also loved his golf.
He had been unwell last week, mostly in bed, and was feeling weak. He said he was going through some tests and that he would have a better fix on the problem by early next week. We decided to postpone cancelling his ticket to Chennai until we knew more. This was on Wednesday and sadly he is no more with us.
Deepak Pramanik
Raj Jayaram and I studied in IIM Calcutta and stayed in the same wing in the hostel for two years.
I had always wanted him to learn bridge when on campus. However, he started learning bridge after we started working in Mumbai. And that too because his father, Uncle, wanted to learn the game.
He moved on to work in the Middle East but remembered to send me an email when he won his first bridge tournament acknowledging my contribution. We have partnered with each other in several tournaments even though we never won a single tournament.
Raj had dedicated himself to bridge since the last 12 years and had really mastered the art of bidding. His zeal to do well at the bridge table led to many humorous anecdotes which will always linger in my memory. A brilliant mind, a fierce debater(he had won many), engaging story teller and an unimaginable sense of humour made him a great friend and interesting company.
To say that I will miss him will be an understatement. May he rest in peace and his family musters the strength to deal with this sudden and irreplaceable loss.
Sandip Dang
Raj and I go back a long way - almost 40 years. He was a really nice guy and as a bridge player, had been making tremendous progress in recent times. I used to thoroughly enjoy playing the TNBA/KSBA games with him.
His sudden passing is a complete shock. I hope his wife and sons can find the strength to cope with this terrible loss.
Alok Daga
Sad to learn Raj is no more. I have pleasant memories of our time together in Singapore. A very amiable person,no ounce of anger. Raj,you have left us too soon.
Sukrit Vijayakar
I first met Raj in December 2019 in the Kolkata Nationals. At that time, he was still working in Singapore. I got to know him better during the Covid stretch, where he was instrumental in introducing Singapore bridge players to BridgeFromHome games.
Subsequently, when he returned, I had the pleasure of playing the FNCC event in the same team as him. He, along with his partner Khushroo Kapadia, went on to win a prize in the IMP pairs there as well.
Off the bridge scene too, I used to discuss about possible assignments he could take in the world of finance after his return to India.
Only after his untimely demise did I realize that he was from IIT Bombay and IIM Calcutta.
May his family have the strength to endure and overcome the loss
Disclaimer : All opinions are entirely those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the BridgeFromHome Team.
Raj was an outstanding crossword solver and among the best in India. I met him in December for the IXL finals and we spent some time . He always used to solve my grids and give me feedback. Will miss him. Prayers to the family
Raj was from my hostel, H6 in IIT Bombay. In hostel we never saw him playing Bridge. Must have taken up after passing out.
He appeared on Bridge tournament scene a few years back, when he was in Singapore.
He was very good at solving crosswords also.
His untimely passing away came as a shock to all our hostel mates. His ever smiling face will always be remembered.
May God give strength to his family to face this loss.
May his Atma attain Sadgati.
Om Shanti. 🙏
Shocking news!!!! I have played with Raj numerous times in singapore!!! He was a solid player . His passion for the game was unmatched. A thorough gentleman!!! Gone too soon… sending strength to his family to deal with this huge loss
Strangely, I met Raj because of crosswords, when in 2023, he lost the championship on a tie break. That was when he became a known name in cryptic crosswords. He came to know about my interest in bridge and kept in touch. We kept bumping into each other at various events. Whenever he came to Mumbai, the crossword group used to get together. On 21st December, he and another crossword expert, Dr. Hegde, came home for dinner and chitchat. 3 days later we met at the crossword finals, where again he had a great showing. And in a couple of weeks…he is no more??? Still wrapping my mind around this fact. He was very very bright. Understated…quiet…but brilliant. Had met him so many times last year and got to know him really well. My thoughts go out to his family on this occasion. Rest in peace🙏
I was shocked to here of Raj’s passing. He was always pleasant at the table and I had the pleasure of teaming with him in the HCL tourney 2 years back. I also met him last year when I was in Bengaluru. Raj also served in SCBA committee in Singapore. He will truly be missed by the bridge committee in Singapore.
Raj (Sgp)
just unbelievable. I came to know about him from puriaji who used to play with him during his visits to Singapore. Caught up with him in both clubs or on other days whenever I visited. he had a cool composure during play and the sessions are always rememberable irrespective of outcome.
Miss you Raj. Om Shanti
pray the Almighty for eternal peace of the departed soul.
Raj was a good friend from my Singapore days . Very respectful and friendly . I had the feeling that he was always eager to learn something new from every player . In fact he made tremendous progress in his performances in recent years . We had extensive discussions by phone and email on bidding systems .
Sad to see him depart so soon from life . May his soul rest in peace !
Mahadevan
Saw all good words on him. I am truly shocked to hear his loss and pray for Satgadi. He was always quiet, calm and intelligent player. It is a great loss to bridge fraternity and his family members. RIP dear.
Thiaga….
I have edited your comment slightly before publishing.
Raj, lovingly called by most of his friends from IIMC as Raj Jr. since we have another Raj who is Raj Sr, had known me since 1985 when we joined IIMC in the 22nd Batch PGDM. I always enjoyed his company as did all of our batchmates. An expert and winner in JAM, debates, bridge, and crosswords, Raj Jr had a fantastic ability to analyse any topic with ease and come up with a very logical and objective standpoint.
Though he didn’t take up a teaching job after IIMC, thanks to his interest in banking, he took up a teaching assignment after he retired from the corporate job.
Last year we met quite a few times in Dubai when he visited for his teaching assignment at SPJ. Along with many of our classmates, I met him last in Nov 2023 in Delhi when attending the wedding of our classmate Partha’s son Ayush.
He used to be one of my close friends since Joka time. Though we never lived in the same city, we were always in touch.
His energy and laughter would make anyone feel so happy and enjoy talking to him.
He used to be a regular contributor to the Catch-22 news magazine of our batch with his witty and interesting writings.
We are at a loss for words to express our sadness and shock at the sudden death of Raj Jr.
Our heartfelt condolences to Sharvari, Vivrut, Viraj, and his relatives and friends.
Raj Jr will always live with us in our memory.
Thank you so much for your kind words Ganesan.
We all have come to know so much more about Raj thanks to you.
Raj was our bridge Angel in Keppel Club whilst in Singapore …. winning several times in our interclub tournaments whilst representing club… also our teacher on line for Keppel members… loved by all of us.
We missed him very much when he left Singapore to return home to India.
Raj Rest in Peace ❤️