Bengal Tiger lived a roaring life

LOVE him or hate him, you could not ignore him. He was in your face, in the media and at community events.

Neither a slap in the face from an AWB supporter, nor being labelled an apartheid government stooge could sway him from his mission: to give Indians a voice in the government of the country.

Political analyst Kiru Naidoo once said: “What made Rajbansi relevant was that he was able to speak the language of the marginalised and alienated in the poor areas of Phoenix and Chatsworth.”

The Bengal Tiger, as he was known, would have celebrated his 74th birthday this Thursday. An eventful, sometimes riotous, but certainly a roaring life.

Amichand Rajbansi was born on January 15, 1942 in Clairwood. His father, Ethwaroo Rajbansi, was a builder and carpenter and his mother, Suminthra, was a housewife. He had one brother, Devraj, and three sisters, Kalawathi, Bidda and Shanthi.

The young Rajbansi attended Clairwood Secondary School and thereafter college, where his major subjects were history and psychology. It was there that he developed a love for debate and public speaking. After college he became a sports administrator.

His first wife, Ashadevi, who he married on December 31, 1967, recalled in a Sunday newspaper columnist’s interview that she fell in love with Rajbansi when he was her Standard 7 Latin teacher at Chatsworth High School.

“I was hopeless at Latin and he gave me a good hiding,” she said with a slightly hysterical giggle. “I think he used that as an excuse to come and give me extra tuition at home.”

Their wedding was a big, colourful, glamorous affair and her sister was married at the same event. Four daughters and a son, Vimal, Vimlesh, Vimlekha, Vimtha and Vinshana, were the products of this loving union.

She spoke sadly of her children being regularly intimidated and threatened on the phone during her husband’s political career.

Rajbansi served for a long time as a sports administrator, professional soccer referee and civic leader, and was elected to the unpopular South African Indian Council in 1974.

Two years later he resigned from the SAIC and, in 1981, formed the National People’s Party (NPP) Tiger was admitted to the uMhlanga Hospital. Rajbansi died on December 29, 2011, at the age of 69, after a long battle with bronchitis.

Both his political party and his family obviously miss his calming hand and sharp tongue to guide them and align them. Both are struggling in their own ways.

The five children and his second wife are splintered. His great love and first wife, Ashadevi, is living an almost reclusive life with a close relative – a sad shadow of her colourful, feminine and flamboyant self.

Not surprisingly, Rajbansi made provision for her welfare in his will.

The Tiger is still spoken of fondly these days, either in hushed tones or with loud praises. He assisted legions of families and individuals on a personal level and they revere him.

Others will never forget his regular entertainment events at sports arenas, where “supper will be served” and his beloved Flash Entertainers drove the crowd wild with their charm.

Undoubtedly a local hero. The Bengal Tiger – the cat with nine political lives.