In Loving Memory of BV Khadiravana

Details: By Sony Thomas; 15.Apr

On February 5, 2025, at 5:30 pm, a memorial meeting was held in the KRB Auditorium at IIIT-Hyderabad to honor and remember the life of BV Khadiravana, a CVIT student who passed away unexpectedly. The memorial service was a deeply emotional and meaningful moment for the entire community. His presence, kindness, and bright spirit touched all who had the privilege of knowing him. Faculty, staff, friends, and fellow students came together to celebrate BV Khadiravana’s life, sharing stories and reflecting on their profound impact during their time here.

Sony Thomas

The untimely demise of BV Khadiravana , also known as BVK, due to cardiac arrest in the early morning hours on January 26, 2025, has left the IIIT-H community in profound shock. BVK joined IIIT-H via the Lateral Entry program in 2019. He joined Professor Ravi Kiran’s research group a year later. He was an individual whose enthusiasm for life was infectious. His presence was a constant source of positivity and motivation, whether it was his involvement in campus events, contributions to academic discussions, or the support he gave to his friends and peers. BVK has left an unforgettable impact on everyone around him. His advisor, Prof. Ravi Kiran, and a few friends thoughtfully reflected on their experiences with a sense of deep sorrow.

“BVK gradually distinguished himself as an accomplished and competent researcher on my team.”, recalled Prof. Ravi Kiran. “More recently, BVK led the technology design and development of e vikrAI, a unique e-commerce application developed by BharatGen, a consortium-led effort towards building multi-modal and multi-lingual Indic LLMs, with IIIT-H as one of the partner institutions. The effort culminated in a presentation at India Mobile Congress 2024, the premier tech expo of the country.”

“I met BVK during my first year of PhD, through my several interactions with him as my course TA, project-related interactions and casual meets in the lab, I know him as a strict, organized, righteous leader and a good human being. He was a great mentor to several students at IIIT and also brought cheer among many. I liked how easily he was able to connect with fellow labmates and discuss different aspects of their lives, which I never could. I wish I could learn how to do that, hopefully, his memories will guide me through it. RIP BVK.” – Chirag Parikh

“BVK was that one guy who was always ready to help, and you did not need to go to him to ask for help, he would himself come up to your desk and ask "aur bhai kya chal raha hai?". He was that one guy who never feared to take responsibility for something going wrong, and was always ready to help people. He used to be the one in whose presence there could never be coldness or formality, he would always make the environment around him so light-hearted. I don't know anyone else who has that level of humility. You'll be missed, BVK.” -Vaibhav Agrawal

Though BVK is no longer with us, his presence will continue to inspire and guide those who knew him. He touched the hearts of many, and his legacy endures through the memories shared, the lessons he imparted, and the love he gave to all.