Srinivas Kuchibhotla returns home to say final goodbye

HYDERABAD: On Monday evening, hectic activity was underway at the Kuchibhotla residence in Bachupally. The house was swarming with guests and relatives, while workers were busy erecting a shamiana outside and laying out chairs for those expected to throng the modest one-storey home less than 24 hours later. Only, there was a stoic silence.
Everybody was weighed down by the extreme grief they felt at bidding a final goodbye to the second son of the house, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in Austin’s Bar and Grill at Olathe, Kansas in USA, in what is being termed as a racial attack.His funeral will be held at the Mahaprasthanam cremation ground in Jubilee Hills after 11.30 am on Tuesday.
“Before that, for an hour, his body will be kept at home for people to come and pay their respects,” said Srinivas’s grand-uncle P L Narayana, who was spotted sitting by himself in the balcony. The rest of the family was in mourning and stayed indoors, refusing to speak to anybody.
A retired school teacher, Narayana reminisced the happy times with the 32-year-old techie and remembered him as a “thoughtful, caring and helpful child”. “He earned many friends because of his behaviour. He loved spending time with his friends. It is our utter misfortune that we lost him so tragically,” he said.
Apart from the immediate members of the family – including Srinivas’ wife Sunayana’s parents who live in Dilsukhnagar – relatives from far off places such as Bandar in Machilipatnam and districts in West Godavari too are expected to attend the funeral. The family said that the Telangana government has assured to take care of all the arrangements for the event on Tuesday and provide necessary security.
“It is heart-wrenching to see a happy life cut short. The last time we spoke, Srini told us that his wife and he were planning to start a family together. I can’t even imagine how miserable the young girl would be feeling right now,” the grand uncle said.