Govinda Rao Buddiga departed from his earthly life on September 30, 2024. He is survived by his mother, Satyavati; his siblings, Jayalakshmi, Leela Radhika, and Srinivas Rao; his wife, Uma; and his daughter, Gowri. They were Govinda's whole world. His was a life of performing small kindnesses and encouragements with the fiercest love for family, friends, and strangers alike.

Born in a village near the Godavari River, to Satyavati and Tatarao Buddiga (1940-2015), Govinda burst into this world with his big personality and even bigger heart. His mother, upon noticing his tendency to wander, had to tie a string to his ankle to keep him from venturing too far. Govinda adored his parents and siblings, speaking with special affection for his mother’s gentleness and resilience as a young mother of four. From his father, he inherited his appreciation for the arts, a deep well of intellectual curiosity, and a passion for helping the underdog.

Raised in Hyderabad, Govinda exercised his right to youthful rebellion by racing motorcycles (much to the chagrin of his father). He was a star cricket player and a top student at his university, after which he worked his first job as a civil engineer. A man ahead of his time, Govinda's concern for the wellness of others led to his volunteer work at a suicide prevention telephone hotline in the early 1990s. He made it his goal to come to the United States to further chase his dreams. After landing at the Newark Liberty International Airport on August 19, 1992, Govinda never looked back – he earned an MS in Computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and subsequently began his career in the U.S. at AT&T. He married his beloved Uma in 1995.

Govinda specifically found immense joy in fatherhood. His daughter, Gowri, was his pride. While he was always present at her recitals, concerts, and soccer games, he truly savored ordinary moments: teaching her how to ride a bike, helping her eat her Froot Loops every morning before dropping her off at preschool, and bringing her guavas after she flew out of the nest. Govinda loved doting on the children of his family, friends, and colleagues; his daughter’s phone is laden with photos of him playing with his friends’ babies. If he saw a parent struggling to juggle it all with small children in public, even a total stranger, he’d find a way to lend a hand. Whenever he learned of a friend or a colleague with a young daughter, he loved sharing his stories and lessons learned from his life’s work as a girl dad.

That devotion to his family led Govinda to his day job as a database administrator. He was an early hire at Capital One in 1995. He was an employee at Elevance Health at the time of his passing, where he was loved and respected by his co-workers, who he spoke of fondly. One of Govinda’s longtime colleagues said, “his leadership was marked by compassion, patience, and kindness, never once asserting his authority but instead embracing me like a brother.” He professionally mentored hundreds over his 30-year storied career. So beloved he was as a colleague that, upon leaving a team he managed, over 20 of his co-workers organized a big goodbye lunch and pitched in to buy him an Apple Watch as a gift, perhaps because they knew he’d never buy one for himself.

Though an avid reader of however many books he could get away with borrowing from the Henrico County Public Library, Govinda knew when to take a break to make a new friend – or two, or a million. He cherished his time with his family and friends like no other, often opting to visit his loved ones wherever they were instead of sending a care package. His tenderness and predisposition to laugh easily, if perhaps a little too loudly, shined brighter than the sun.

An experimentative cook in every sense of the word, Govinda enjoyed subjecting his family to trying his culinary creations (of varying quality) until he achieved perfection. His family will sorely miss his signature tandoori-style turkey legs he’d make every Thanksgiving, always with the sound of football in the background. He was also an avid consumer of indie movies, a sports fanatic (particularly following the University of Michigan and the Pittsburgh Steelers), and an eager practitioner of yoga. He delighted in going on road trips. While working in Atlanta for a few years, he went to as many eateries as time would allow and always made sure to take his daughter to his favorite new discovery when she came to visit – almost always a hole in the wall.

His wife will always remember the walks they took around their neighborhood, tending to their houseplants and garden, and cooking together to the soundtrack of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. His daughter will always remember the days that they would bike together, the Sunday mornings when they would fight over who got to read the newspaper first, and their many late night drives around town where they would listen to Lorde and Bruce Springsteen, banter in their secret language and share belly-aching laughter at their many inside jokes. Both Uma and Gowri will miss sharing Costco runs, their cherished family dinners, and his homemade biryani. His friends and colleagues will always remember his radiant smile and the twinkle in his eye.

Because Govinda lived a kaleidoscopic life, there are many ways to honor his memory. Live every day with an open heart, taking every chance you can to make a new friend. If you are blessed with a family, take them out for a heaping plateful of pancakes with extra syrup on top. Ride your (motor)bike. Visit someone who is dear to you, try a restaurant you haven’t been to before, and be kind to strangers. Above all, call your loved ones, tell them you love them, and bask in hearing their voice.

**In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the memorial fund.**

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