Priya Koothrappali

Priya Koothrappali is Raj's younger. She first appeared in "The Irish Pub Formulation" and serves as the unintentional main of the season 4 in that Penny regards Priya as Leonard's most viable alternative.

Before the series
Priya first met the s on April 12, 2005. At in, Howard and Leonard {{w|{{w|pinky swore}} not to hit on her. However, Leonard does have sexual relations with Priya. He offers to return {{w|home}} with her to {{w|India}}, but she refuses and leaves.

Priya completed her {{w|law}} studies {{w|LLB degree}}) at {{w|Cambridge University}} (UK) {{w|graduating}} at the top of her class. She is {{w|licensed}} to practice law in 3 different {{w|countries}} (presumably in the {{w|United States}}, {{w|Great Britain}} and {{w|India}}). She is one of the lead {{w|attorneys}} for the biggest {{w|car}} company in India, having planned an {{w|internship}} at a large Indian car company in 2005 when she was finishing her law degree. She goes to {{w|Toronto}} for a {{w|corporate merger}} and later helps set up a {{w|secondary derivative market}} which would allow {{w|overseas}} car firms to hedge their {{w|investments}} against potential advancements in {{w|battery}} {{w|technology}}.

Season 4
In "The Irish Pub Formulation", Priya is passing through the and resumes relations with Leonard, sleeping with him in his apartment that night. The following, Leonard again expressed desire to join her in India. She refused, stated they've talked about this before and the wasn't serious. They try to sneak out but Sheldon sees them and concludes they had {{w|coitus. Leonard returns Priya to the {{w|airport}} and instructs Sheldon to keep it {{w|secret}}. Sheldon further complicates the matter by concocting a {{w|crazy}} story involving an {{w|Irish}} {{w|bar maid}}. When confronted about his night Leonard begins using Sheldon's story, but can't bring himself to say it. He admits that he was with Priya. Raj is angry at first but feels better after hearing of Priya's refusal from Leonard. Following this the guys begin {{w|confronting}} one another about different {{w|things}} they had done wrong to each other such as telling Raj that foreigners give gifts to {{w|Americans}} on {{w|Thanksgiving}}.

In "The Cohabitation Formulation" she arrives on a much longer {{w|assignment}} and starts {{w|dating}} Leonard openly despite protest from Raj. In "The Prestidigitation Approximation", Priya tests Leonard with steadily increasing demands ({{w|contact lenses}}, {{w|clothing}} {{w|shopping}}). In her final request, diminish or eliminate ties with Penny, Priya reasons he shouldn't date while being {{w|friends with {{w|women}} he's {{w|slept with}}. Leonard has difficulty telling Penny about it, but she figures it out anyway and agrees to keep her distance. Bernadette, Amy, and Penny band together to vent about Priya's controlling {{w|behavior}}.

"The Agreement Dissection" sees Sheldon {{w|accusing}} Leonard of breaking various roommate agreement clauses. Priya successfully {{w|defends}} on all counts. She continues to poke {{w|holes in the {{w|contrac}}t until Sheldon writes a new contract. He {{w|blackmails}} Priya by threatening to expose their relationship to her parents. Although Priya never reveals why she doesn't want her parents to know, Leonard accepts the {{w|agreement at Priya's pleading. It is assumed that her parents do not approve of Leonard or pretty much anyone.

During "The Wildebeest Implementation", Bernadette, on a plot to learn more about Priya, joins Howard, Priya, and Leonard for a get-together. Leonard and Priya mention going to India in the {{w|summer to meet her parents. Bernadette asks Priya about parental approval, she states her parents are very {{w|old fashioned. Bernadette asks if they're planning on getting {{w|engaged}}, and Priya denies it stating their relationship isn't at that point.

In "The Engagement Reaction', Howard asks Priya why she hasn't told her parents about her and Leonard. She states her parents are extremely {{w|protective}}. Later, in the {{w|hospital}}, Penny and Priya bond while discussing Leonard's {{w|sexual}} peculiarities (long {{w|foreplay}}, {{w|dancing}}). They openly share his {{w|quirks}} with each other much to the discomfort of Leonard.

Leonard moves in with Priya momentarily in "The Roommate Transmogrification", and Raj moves in with Sheldon so Priya can spend more time with him. She gets a {{w|call}} from her parents while {{w|making ou}} with Leonard. She tells him to go to the {{w|bedroom}} while she talks with them. He expresses frustration that she won't tell her parents, but Priya retorts that she'll tell them as soon as one of her {{w|brothers or {{w|sisters}} makes a big mistake. Leonard retreats to the bedroom, but listens to the conversation. After Priya's mother mentions her return to India the following {{w|month}}, Leonard asks Priya when she had planned on telling him. After her parents ask why she's {{w|lying}} about people in her apartment (Raj's Apartment)and Raj being out with {{w|friends}}, Leonard tells her parents about their relationship believing the relationship is {{w|doomed}} anyway. {{w|Speechless, Priya walks away from the {{w|conversation}}, leaving Leonard with her disappointed parents. He makes {{w|small talk}} and quickly ends the call.

Season 5
Priya returns to India and, despite parental dissent and physical distance, they continue their relationship with dates and foreplay on  (though this is a, as Leonard proves to be very  at this type of thing).

However, it's not easy staying. Leonard has a {{w|moral crisis in "The Good Guy Fluctuation" where he gets Alice's number at the comic book store. Later at Leonard's apartment, they share {{w|comic-con}} {{w|memorabilia}} and make out. Feeling torn between Alice and Priya, Leonard asks Penny for advice. She states he can't make everyone happy regardless of his choice. Still feeling unsure, Leonard asks Sheldon's {{w|guidance}}. He posits {{w|Nietzsche}}'s idea that {{w|morality}} is a {{w|fiction}} used by the {{w|inferior to hold back the {{w|superior}}. Taking it to {{w|hear}}t, Leonard chooses Alice and leaves for her apartment. But after they make out again, he changes his mind and affirms his loyalty to Priya. Alice calls him a {{w|jerk}} and kicks him out. Leonard, disappointed about Alice, but reassured about Priya, returns {{w|home}}, calls Priya, {{w|apologizes}} for making out with Alice, and {{w|promises}} it won't happen again. Priya quickly forgives him by stating all humans make {{w|mistakes}}. Leonard probes her {{w|reasoning}}. Cringing, she admits to sleeping with her ex (probably Sanjay, mentioned to be Skyping with her in "The Zarnecki Incursion") a few weeks ago and concludes it's not a {{w|contest}}. Leonard disagrees saying that it is and she {{w|won}} and ends the call. In the next {{w|episode}}, Leonard refers to himself as {{w|single}}, implying that he broke up with Priya afterwards. Later, Leonard starts dating Penny again confirming this.

Priya is never seen or mentioned in the series again, except in The Recombination Hypothesis when Raj mentions that Leonard defiled his {{w|sister.

Personality
Priya is an lawyer, being  to  in different countries. She shows interest in and  such as {{w|roller skatingv. At first she had little interest in dating, as she twice rebuffed Leonard's attempts to date her, but later changed her mind. Priya displays {{w|cunning}} when she unravels the original Roommate Agreement, though she admits {{w|defeat}} when Sheldon blackmails her and Leonard. She does not have much patience with {{w|nerdish}} things, such as when Leonard spent more time playing a {{w|game}} than he did her. Later, he had to claim he was working late so he could help Sheldon with a {{w|problem}} that had come up, knowing she would not be happy about the {{w|truthv. She also made a lot of {{w|demands from Leonard, ranging from the {{w|clothes}} he wore to his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Penny.

Leonard
Prior to the series' start, Leonard and Priya had a brief {{w|affair when she visited Pasadena. It did not go beyond it because Priya was uninterested in a relationship. When she {{w|visits}} again, the same thing ensues and her mind has not changed, though she enjoys Leonard's {{w|company}}. (Leonard later admits he was hurt by her {{w|rejection}}.) It is not until she visits in "The Cohabitation Formulation" that she finally changes her {{w|mind}} and starts dating Leonard. The two get along perfectly, though Priya gets a little {{w|annoyed}} by Leonard's nerdish activities. In "The Zarnecki Incursion" Leonard is too preoccupied helping Sheldon with a {{w|computer game}} to spend time with Priya, and she goes on to apparently contact her ex-boyfriend.

As their relationship continues, Priya asks Leonard to sever {{w|ties}} with his ex Penny, as she, Priya, feels it is unnecessary for them to be {{w|friends}}. Leonard reluctantly agreed, though the {{w|friendship}} is restored when Priya becomes {{w|friendly}} with Penny.

Priya refused to tell her strict parents about her relationship with Leonard, preferring to wait for the right moment, and this left Leonard feeling Priya was {{w|ashamed of him. At one point, she even threatened to {{w|break up}} with him if he allowed a {{w|video}} about their relationship to be sent to her parents. When she planned on going back to India, she did not tell him about it; he had to find out from her {{w|mother}}, propelling him to reveal their relationship, leaving Priya {{w|flustered and her parents {{w|angered. Nevertheless, the two continued dating long-distance, though it was difficult. Leonard began to miss Priya and expressed small doubt over their relationship, though he felt they were capable of staying together, even {{w|marrying}} each other someday. Eventually, in "The Good Guy Fluctuation" Leonard {{w|cheated}} by kissing another girl, and when he {{w|confessed, she revealed she had {{w|slept with her ex-boyfriend. Leonard, having walked away from {{w|temptation}}, is clearly upset to find that Priya had succumbed much earlier. In the following {{w|episode, Leonard confirmed he and Priya broke up. It is unknown whether it was on mutual terms or if Leonard broke up with her.

Raj
Raj is protective of his younger, and is very upset when she and Leonard start dating. Priya stays with him while in Pasadena, and Raj is uncomfortable with her {{w|sleeping with his friend. He seems to feel better about it over time. It is suggested he may have known Priya was going back to India, as he did not tell Leonard, though it is possible he himself did not know. It is unknown how he reacted when Leonard and Priya broke up.

Howard
Howard appeared to have quite a good relationship with Priya. They both enjoyed Sheldon about the  and even when mentioning the fake {{w|message from Stephen Hawking left on his {{w|voicemail}} by the guys. In "The Engagement Reaction," when Priya lightly {{w|scolds Howard for not telling his mother about his {{w|engagement}} to Bernadette, Howard called her on her {{w|hypocrisy}} since she had yet to tell her parents about her relationship with Leonard (though she counters the two are not engaged and her parents are just as overprotective as Howard's mother).

Penny
Priya was uncomfortable about Penny always being around Leonard because of his previous relationship with her, and eventually asked him to stop communicating with Penny. While it seemed like Penny was  of Priya, Penny had no initial protests about their relationship, and almost seemed to act jealous because of from Amy and Bernadette. The friendship between her and Leonard is restored when Priya becomes friends with her after the two of them share his quirky habits. Shortly after Priya's relationship with Leonard ends, Penny and Leonard start dating again.

Sheldon
Originally, the two got along fine, with Priya occasionally becoming a bit with Sheldon's. She also liked him. It would be the episode "The Roommate Dissection" that their relationship would. Priya, a lawyer, begins to find multiple in the Roommate Agreement and use them to her and Leonard's advantage. After a while it seems she is doing it simply for the enjoyment of seeing Sheldon flustered. At the end of the episode Sheldon reigns when he blackmails Leonard into signing a new Roommate Agreement by threatening to reveal to Priya's parents her relationship with Leonard, knowing how Priya did not want them to. After this episode, it is shown they are no longer as friendly. In "The Roommate Transmogrification" Leonard reveals Priya no longer spends the night at his {{w|apartment because the two don't get along anymore. In "The Infestation Hypothesis," when Sheldon {{w|questions Leonard's long-distance relationship with Priya, Leonard points out the similarities with Sheldon and Amy's. Sheldon questions if Leonard likes Amy, and Leonard responds that he does, to which Sheldon retorts "There's the difference," implying their relationship is no better.

Bernadette
While Bernadette did not have any personal dislike towards Priya, she knew how Penny felt about Leonard dating her. In "The Wildebeest Implementation," Bernadette on Priya and Leonard for Amy, though she has difficulty keeping up any  she gives. Priya also called her "interesting," and would frequently invite her and Howard to double-dates.

Amy
Amy was the first to guess Penny was about Leonard and Priya (before Penny even did herself), later  Penny when the latter started. While she frequently insults Priya, however, she admitted Priya had a lot of good qualities that Leonard was attracted to, such as her and.

Trivia:

 * Priya graduated with a degree in law from Cambridge University in England.
 * She can practice law in three different countries: most likely the U.K (where she studied), India (her birth country), and the USA (where she worked at the time).
 * At Cambridge University, her Texan flat-mate taught her how to make chili.
 * Priya is Leonard's second girlfriend who moved in with him. The first was Stephanie Barnett.
 * Priya is the only girlfriend Leonard had who Raj can talk to or around without being drunk, obviously for family reasons. However, he talked to Penny in the Season 6 finale (without being under the influence), but this doesn't mean he will be able to constantly talk to her in Season 7.
 * Her ex-boyfriend is named Sanjay, as is one of her cousins. Sanjay is also a name adopted by Howard in "The Hofstadter Isotope".
 * Priya can be considered the antagonist of Season 4 due to her relationship with Leonard creating a with Penny. Also, certain aspects of her  were arguably antagonistic.
 * Out of all of Penny's rivals, Priya was the biggest threat, serving as Leonard's girlfriend the longest, only second to Penny.
 * In "The Skank Reflex Analysis", Leonard mentioned he and Priya had been dating for eight s prior to her returning to India. Interestingly, this is how long he and Penny originally dated before they broke up.