A heartfelt graduation post by 22-year-old Indian-origin student Saketh Sreenivasaiah has resurfaced on social media days after his body was recovered from a lake in California, drawing attention to an emotional tribute he paid to a “dearest friend and batchmate Kedar.”Sreenivasaiah, a postgraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, had graduated nearly six months ago from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) with a BTech in Chemical Engineering. According to his LinkedIn profile, he secured a CGPA of 8.41.In July 2025, sharing a photograph from his convocation ceremony, he had written: “I’m delighted to share that I’ve officially graduated from IIT Madras with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.”Reflecting on his journey, he added: “The past 4 years (technically 3.5 since we started during the later part of the infamous Covid era) have been an incredible journey, rich with learnings not just from lectures and labs, but more so from the projects and PoRs I’ve been a part of, and all the amazing people I’ve had the privilege to know closely (my peers, professors, seniors & juniors). There are far too many stories, learnings, and moments to do justice to in a single post!”Calling the milestone a shared achievement, Sreenivasaiah wrote: “This moment isn’t mine alone. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to this journey and made this possible. I dedicate this to my late grandfather, who would’ve been the happiest to see this moment!”However, it was his closing lines that have now struck an emotional chord.“This milestone would’ve been much better alongside my dearest friend and batchmate Kedar. The warm moments & memories we shared continue to inspire.”
Who was ‘Kedar’?
While Sreenivasaiah did not elaborate in his post, the mention of “Kedar” has drawn attention because a second-year undergraduate student, Kedar Suresh Chougule, from the Chemical Engineering department at IIT-M, was found dead in his hostel room in April 2023 in an apparent case of suicide.Kedar, 20 at the time, had reportedly been battling depression and had sought counselling support. His death was among multiple such incidents reported at IIT-M in early 2023. However, it is not confirmed whether the “Kedar” mentioned in Sreenivasaiah’s LinkedIn post refers to the same student.Following Kedar’s death in 2023, IIT-M had issued a statement expressing grief and said it was “taking all possible measures to proactively identify and help students under stress.”
Body found in California lake
Sreenivasaiah, who hailed from Karnataka’s Tumakuru, had been missing since February 9. His body was recovered on February 14 from Lake Anza near the Berkeley Hills in California.The Indian Consulate in San Francisco confirmed the development in a statement on X, expressing condolences and stating that it was in touch with the family to provide necessary assistance, including repatriation of the mortal remains.Local authorities have not publicly disclosed details of their probe. According to reports, his roommate, Baneet Singh, said police had indicated that the case was being treated as a possible suicide, though no official confirmation has been issued.In a LinkedIn post after Sreenivasaiah went missing, Singh described noticeable changes in his friend’s behaviour in the weeks prior, recalling that he had “started eating less and engaging less” and once remarked, “I’ve stopped caring, man… I don’t care about anything.”As tributes pour in online, Sreenivasaiah’s graduation message, celebrating perseverance, friendship and gratitude, now stands as a reminder of a young life that had only just begun a new chapter.
