Haresh Chandra

Haresh Chandra was the husband of Gita Chandra, and father of Rani Chandra.

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Haresh was the new head of Park Vale School. When Clyde Langer and Luke Smith first met him he was angry at the standard of their class's behaviour. Rani pretended not to know him, as she did not want her friends to know that her father was the Head Teacher. Later, when Clyde saw a clown, Haresh did not believe him and thought that he was telling lies. The next day he was puzzled as why students where walking out of school with balloons. He later put it down to a prank organised by Clyde. Originally upset that his daughter had taken part in the 'prank', he was pleased to discover that she was with Luke and Clyde 'studying at the library'. He subsequently offered to make them all tea. (SJA: The Day of the Clown)

Like Sarah Jane Smith, he was a Taurus and was one of the few not hypnotised by Martin Trueman, because Trueman was stopped before he could get to Taurus. (SJA: Secrets of the Stars)

He fell victim to the Berserker Pendant twice: once when it was used by his daughter Rani, and again by Paul Langer after he stole the item from Sarah Jane's attic. When Rani used it on him he performed random, meaningless commands such as hopping on one foot, believing the pendant was a hamster, and doing an impression of a lion, but she quickly stopped and had him forget when it began to scare her (she had almost accidentally commanded him to die by saying "You'd die if you could see yourself"). When Paul used it on him, he started by jogging on the spot, but was then told to do push-ups, which he did. It was this command that almost caused him to die of exhaustion, as no matter what happened around him he refused to stop. (SJA: The Mark of the Berserker)

He was pushed into putting plants in the Genetec building by Gita. When they put the plants in the reception, they were arrested by security, and locked in a room. However, due to Haresh's lock picking skills, they escaped and where looking for a way out when they where stopped by a troop of Judoon, whom Haresh unsuccessfully tried to talk to. As they were trying to escape the building they narrowly avoided bumping into the Judoon, who had just captured Androvax. On their return to Bannerman Road, Haresh and Gita told Sarah Jane and the others of their encounter, although Haresh doubted that anyone would believe them. (SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon)

Haresh then attended the wedding of Sarah Jane and Peter Dalton, with Haresh voicing his doubts about such a hasty union. Haresh was proven right, when Peter "dissappeared" before the ceremony began. (SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith). He agreed to look after Luke while Sarah Jane was investigating a "haunted house". He taught Luke how to play Chess, and ended beaten at it by him six times. (SJA: The Eternity Trap) He began to like Clyde when he won an art contest which allows the school to see the Mona Lisa. Haresh was shocked when the painting disappeared. (SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge)