‘He will be the hope that we need’: Valparaiso University remembers slain grad student Varun Raj Pucha
In August 2022, 104 graduate students arrived at Valparaiso University from India.
The beginning of the school year, said Valparaiso University President José Padilla, is always full of hope, and Varun Raj Pucha was one of those students.
He arrived in Valparaiso at age 28 with his peers, halfway around the world from his home to better his life, Padilla said.
Pucha, 29, died Nov. 7 after being stabbed in the head on Oct. 29 at Planet Fitness, an off-campus gym he selected, Padilla said, because its hours fit better with his schedule than those at the campus gym.
Pucha was scheduled to graduate in December with a master’s degree in information technology.
“It’s one of those imponderables that have us pleading to God. Why?” Padilla said, adding there will never be an answer.
Padilla was one of a handful of speakers Thursday at the Chapel of the Resurrection on the university campus to honor Pucha during a memorial program that featured Hindu songs and prayers and a moment of silence while the campus community and the community at large continue to grapple with Pucha’s unexpected death.
Upward of 800 people filled the chapel for the program and comfort dogs, including one from the Valparaiso Police Department, welcomed mourners and supporters in the lobby as they entered the chapel. A sign that said, “Beacons praying for Varun” was taped to one of the chapel doors.
Because of Pucha’s death, charges against Jordan Andrade, 24, of Porter Township, were upgraded on Nov. 8 to one count of murder, a Level 1 felony, and one count of aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony. He had previously been charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery.
A pathologist in Fort Wayne ruled Pucha’s cause of death to be complications of a stab wound to the head and ruled the manner of death a homicide, according to updated court documents.
Andrade, who has pleaded not guilty, remains in Porter County Jail. His bond, initially set at $500,000 cash and $500,000 surety, was temporarily suspended while he awaits mental health evaluations. That bond will not be reinstated now that he has been charged with murder.
Police were called around 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, to Planet Fitness, 1270 Strongbow Centre Drive, after the altercation, in which Andrade used a knife for cutting open boxes to stab Pucha in the head with a wound so deep it reached his brain stem, according to charging documents.
His chance of survival was estimated at 0-5% by medical staff at Northwest Health-Porter, according to court documents.
Andrade told police Pucha threatened to assassinate him and the stabbing was how he reacted, court documents state. Andrade told police he requested a deep tissue massage when he arrived at the fitness center but “the guy,” referring to Pucha, was just lying there and was being “a little weird.” He told police he didn’t know the man but described him as having a tan skin tone, according to the charges.
Andrade claimed the two were fighting and Andrade was holding Pucha down because Pucha was pushing him, though Andrade also told police in court documents that Pucha never got out of the massage chair he was in.
Staff at the fitness center told police Pucha was a regular gym member and generally kept to himself, was quiet and reserved and did nothing indicating he was “creepy.”
In his remarks at the chapel, Padilla said there are angels on campus, whether they are alive or not, and now Pucha is among those angels to answer questions and give the community the push they need to move forward.
“Most importantly, he will be the hope that we need when it seems all hope is lost, and there is hope we carry forward,” a hope that will never die, Padilla said. “I suspect it was what Varun would want us to do, what Varun would want us to do the most.”
The Rev. Katherine Museus, university pastor, began the service by saying the community had gathered to mourn Pucha, “to mourn for the future that would have been, should have been for hm and his family.
Family friends and associates said during a Nov. 5 candlelight vigil to pray for Pucha, held at the Indian American Cultural Center in Merrillville, that Pucha’s parents put all of their resources into sending their oldest son to Valparaiso University to achieve his master's degree, with the goal that he could help support his family, including his younger siblings, once he completed his education.
Padilla credited Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy who went “above and beyond” as he worked to assist the effort to bring Pucha’s parents to the United States so they could visit him at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
As Pucha’s condition continued to deteriorate, a family friend has said, his parents decided not to come here, though cousins living in the United States and his VU roommates stayed by his bedside.
The community, Murphy said, came together to honor the life of a bright, promising grad student, “a bright light that was tragically, senselessly diminished.”
“This is a moment of profound sadness that words cannot fully capture,” he said. “It’s important we reflect on the principles that bound us as a community.”
The safety of everybody, including students at the university, is a top priority for the city, Murphy said.
“Varun’s passing has reminded us of the fragility of life and fostering an environment where we can live without fear,” he said, adding the city continues to collaborate with police and the university for safety.
“This will remain our prayer, to keep you safe and make sure justice is carried out for Varun.”
Murphy implored those in the chapel to turn a moment of darkness into one of light.
“May Varun’s memory inspire us to create a better Valparaiso where tragedy is turned into beauty and comfort,” he said.
VU student Tulasi Kota, one of Pucha’s roommates and peers who arrived on campus at the same time he did, said her late classmate had a personality that blended calm, being career oriented and a bit of self-centeredness.
“In the grand tapestry of life, Varun stands as a vibrant thread, weaving laughter, adventure and unforgettable moments into the fabric of our shared memories,” she said. “As we reflect on this memorial day, we dedicate this tribute to Varun, a soul whose journey resonates with joy and resilience.”
Pucha, she said, was goal oriented and had a thirst for knowledge.
“Varun’s definition of success was not just landing on a good career path but mastering the skills and being open to learning new things,” Kota said. “This reflected a dynamic individual’s hunger for success in all aspects of life.”
Pucha was fond of having his picture taken while he was wearing sunglasses, Kota said, and he enjoyed cooking, particularly chicken dishes. While he ate healthfully and worked out, he liked a glass of wine with shrimp spread and dessert, and he loved cricket, never missing a game.
“Varun mostly liked to stay home, but when he went out, he preferred places where he could be close to nature and enjoy tranquillity,” Kota said. “As we grieve the loss of a friend, a roommate, a devoted son, a loving brother, and a member of our community, we know he is in a calm place, one with nature.”
Kimberly Tomkiewicz, coordinator of the masters in technology program, said her program is comprised almost entirely of international students from India.
“There’s over 8,000 miles of space between them and their families and friends,” she said, adding the sights, sounds and smells familiar to her students have been replaced by those in Valparaiso.
From food to weather, she added, nothing is the same.
“Varun embraced those changes with a full heart of studying in a new country and the knowledge that his life would be forever changed by his time at Valpo,” Tomkiewicz said. “Now we are faced with a new reality and future, just as Varun was when he arrived in August 2022.”
Pucha was a straight-A student, Tomkiewicz said, offering reflections from the faculty in her program who knew him. He was a well-rounded student who never took shortcuts and five days before the stabbing at Planet Fitness, Pucha had come into his own during his capstone course for his graduate work.
“He was savoring this experience like a very good piece of candy,” she said, adding he wanted to share his insights with his classmates. “He was very excited. Varun was happy.”
Pucha’s death comes at a time when the world seems to be in a constant state of chaos with a pandemic, wars and violence. “It’s easy to lose sight of how beautiful life is,” she said, adding his spirit will not be in vain, but will be carried on by those he left behind.
She urged those in the chapel to carry on without fear and with love, and to keep a promise that their time will not be wasted.
“Time will not heal the pain of his death,” Tomkiewicz said. “It will, however, provide us the grace for personal reflection.”
As the program came to an end and the audience sat in silence, the campanile bells rang softly nearby.
Mariya O’Grady, a senior nursing student from Schererville who attended the memorial program, said afterward that she appreciated how the campus handled everything that happened, from providing updates on Pucha and his condition to offering different options for students to express their grief.
“Everybody was given time to process everything individually and also to come together as a campus,” she said.
A student death is disconcerting and jarring for the campus, the Rev. Dr. Brian Beckstrom, the university’s assistant vice president for mission, said after the service, since nobody expects someone in their prime of life to lose their life, especially when it is taken from them.
Providing support for Pucha’s family also was difficult because they live so far away but the university’s faculty from India was in constant with them, Beckstrom said, including a faculty member who speaks Telugu, Pucha’s native language, which was “a real blessing.”
“What you saw today is who we are,” he said, adding the campus is grounded in a Lutheran, Christian tradition but also is a place where all are welcome. “To see as many people today who had no connection to Varun is really the epitome of the kind of community we have.”
