Sounder Rajan Vijaya Kumar, fondly addressed as “Raju” by his parents/family or “Sounder” by his colleagues/friends, reached the Supreme Lord’s abode on March 14th, 2015, at a tender age of 28. Born in Bangalore, India, on March 2nd, 1987, to Mr. Vijayakumar and Mrs. Pushpalatha, he was a jewel of the family; being the first grandchild of the family, on both his parents’ side. He was the great grandson of the Sanskrit Vidwan (Maestro) Chakravarthy Sri Srinivasa Gopalacharya.
Soft natured Sounder was known for being very humble, always polite to elders, being a model/guide/mentor to his brother and youngsters. He grew up in the loving care of his Grandmothers, Ms.Rukmini Santanam and Ms.Jayalakshmi Sheshadri, his Uncles, Aunts, his extended Paternal and Maternal families. He was a great mentor and guide to his younger brother Aditya Vijayakumar and his maternal cousin Badri Srinivas. His mother says that he was always driven and motivated to pursue and achieve things he liked, planning his path accordingly. His brother Aditya says, "When I saw him last, before he left India, a few days ago, he advised me to be a good son, friend and brother. Do what you like in your life.” He always valued his family’s opinions and guidance before making decisions. He was such a responsible child that taking care of his parents and his extended family was one of the key priorities of his life.
He completed his schooling at Cadambi Vidya Kendra in Bangalore. He went on to pursue his Bachelors in Electrical engineering at the Regional Engineering College, Surathkal, graduating with high honors in 2008. Even while in the process of completing his Bachelor’s, his interests and passion to expand his learning in the field of Digital Design, led him to pursue a Master’s degree from North Carolina University, graduating in the year 2010. His academic excellence at such a young age is truly commendable, and has made his family proud of his accomplishments. His Maternal Uncle, Raghu Sheshadri, was a great influence and mentor to him throughout his academics and career.
Sounder’s family background nurtured him to develop interests in Hindu philosophy, Vedic scriptures, Hindu traditions and Carnatic Music. He regularly offered his daily prayers, used every opportunity to expand is spiritual learning, participating in many community activities. He has shared his knowledge in Sanskrit by teaching youngsters, at the Samaskritha Bharathi Foundation, Austin Chapter. He served at the Hindu school “Balavihar”, conducted by the Chimaya Mission Organization, teaching Hindu culture, traditions, and core value systems. Both these organizations have been promoting the Hindu Vedic culture for the past several years.
He joined Freescale Semiconductor as a Hardware Engineer in the year 2010 and has worked there since. His academic excellence, and skills and experience gained since, helped him to make significant contributions to a number of keys projects in the company. His Manager Amol, says, “He was a key member of the team, with a great attitude, and that he was someone he could really count on”.
He made several friends during his lifetime, from school, colleagues at work, and from the community. These were friends who enjoyed his company, admired his qualities and lifestyle. One of his close friends and Colleagues, Satish Naidu, says, “We just clicked the first day we met at school, being together through School and work since. More than just being Classmates in school or Colleagues at work, we were simply close friends”.
His Colleagues at Freescale say, ”Aside from being an excellent Engineer by profession, Sounder was well known for his disciplined life outside work, friendly nature, helpful attitude and never desiring a materialistic lifestyle. Sounder was dedicated, be it work related, new learning (such as Sanskrit, Hindu philosophy, music, etc.), or volunteering for the community. He always believed that it is important to follow the culture and traditional values wherever he was.”
He enjoyed hiking, running, trekking, cycling and experiencing new things including his recent skydiving adventure. Sounder had expressed passion for music and was always interested in attending musical events. His passion in Carnatic music came from his Mother, who is a gifted Carnatic vocalist and teacher.
Sounder met Keerthana in 2014 and they got married on Feb 11th, 2015. Soft spoken, humble, kind, caring, wise, Keerthana aligned well with his passions and lifestyle. Keerthana has since become an important member of Sounder's family. In the short time that Keerthana has known Sounder, she describes him as a humble, caring, kind, responsible, sympathetic, encouraging, smart, and witty person.
Sounder is survived by his wife, Keerthana, Mother (Pushpalatha), Father (Vijaykumar), brother (Aditya),Maternal Grandmother (Ms. Jayalakshmi), Paternal Grandmother (Ms. Rukmini). Further, on the Maternal side, he is survived by Uncles and Aunts (Srinivas and Latha, Raghu and Rekha), and cousin (Badri). On the Paternal side, he is survived by Uncles and Aunts (Nirmala Ravikumar and Malini Govindaraj, Mr. and Mrs. Ravi Prakash, Mr. and Mrs. Vasudevan), Cousins (Vaishnavi, Chaitanya, Sumanth, Shruthi, Advaith, Anirudh). He is also survived by his Father-in-law (Mr. Muralidharan), Mother-in-law (Mrs. Manjula), Sister-in-law (Archana), and Keerthana’s Maternal Grandparents, and other relatives and friends.
He leaves a legacy of an “Ideal human being”, who pursued his passion in various fields of interest, and developed memorable relationships, while preserving his “core values”. Any parent should be proud of having such a son.
It is extremely unfortunate that we lost Sounder in a car accident on Saturday, the 14th of March, 2015. The family has lost a beloved child and the world has lost a great soul. Everyone can vouch for him being a gem of a person. He left an everlasting impression which cannot be described in words. We will cherish all the good times with him.
We will miss you, Sounder. All of us will cherish the great times we have shared with you. May your soul rest in peace.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute your donations to Chinmaya Mission Austin