Telangana district judge’s daughter among 8 who lost their lives in Texas mall shooting

• Image Credit: Internet

• May 9, 2023 | Kabir Chakraborty

When the mother called back after learning about the Dallas shooting, she received no response, and the phone was eventually turned off.....

Digital Desk: Thatikonda
Aishwarya Reddy, 27, of Hyderabad, has been identified as one of the eight
individuals murdered in a shooting at a mall in Texas, US, on Saturday.

Aishwarya, the daughter
of Rangareddy district and sessions judge T Narsi Reddy, had spent the previous
five years in the United States. She was working as a project engineer at a
local firm in Texas after earning her master's degree in construction
management from Eastern Michigan University in 2020. She graduated from Osmania
University with a degree in civil engineering before moving to the United States
in 2018.

Aishwarya was doing well in her work, according to a cousin in
Saroornagar, and had lately received a promotion. She last spoke with her
mother Aruna on the fatal evening, informing her that she was heading to the
mall with a male friend, the family informed. When the mother called back
after learning about the Dallas shooting, she received no response, and the
phone was eventually turned off.

Another family member, N Ram Reddy, whose daughter lives in the
United States, enquired the next morning with local district authorities and
hospitals to confirm Aishwarya's death. "We have no idea what happened,
and we don't want to talk about it." "The family is in contact with
Telugu NRI associations in the US and government officials to bring her body back,"
a family member said, adding that the parents were in shock.

Her body is expected to arrive at her house on Wednesday.

"The parents' lives have been devastated. We were unable to
inform her mother of the catastrophe. "It will take her months to process
this shocking news," a relative of Aishwarya remarked, even as government
officials, judges, and friends visited her home to soothe her parents.

Prashant Kumar, Aishwarya's lecturer at MVSR Engineering College
in Hyderabad, describes her in one word: energetic. She was not only one of the
toppers in the batch who represented the institution in throw ball, but she
also stood out in her presentations and in hosting cultural events, according
to Kumar.

"She was in civil engineering, and even after moving to the
United States, she was very particular that she worked in core areas such as
construction management and was not tempted to go after non-core areas such as
software, where people make more money." "She aspired to be an
entrepreneur and contribute to the construction industry," Kumar
explained.

Aishwarya was inspired by her elder brother Srikanth, who
graduated in civil engineering from the same college, according to Raja
Mahender, a super senior in college. "Civil is traditionally thought to be
a male-dominated field." She accepted it as a significant challenge to
achieve. "She was full of energy, worked extremely hard, and aspired to be
the best," Mahender added. During his last talk with Aishwarya in
September, she expressed a desire to contact other seniors from the college who
had settled in the United States and discuss opportunities there.

Kumar, who also taught Aishwarya's brother, said she maintained
contact with the college department after relocating to the United States.
"She would have turned a year older on May 18th." Every year on that
day, we talk since she and my wife, who was also her teacher, have a birthday.
Even if she didn't, she would frequently WhatsApp me. "My legs are still
shaking as a result of this shocking news," Kumar remarked.

Even while she worked to establish a bright future for herself
in the US, Aishwarya maintained contact with juniors and advised those
interested in exploring prospects in the US. "She was always cheerful and
upbeat about everything." I've never seen her cry. "We still can't
believe it happened to her," Kumar added.”

The Civil Engineering Students' Association at the college, as
well as alumni, are planning a candlelight march in the coming days to
criticise the prevalent gun culture in the United States.

Aishwarya last returned home in December to attend the wedding
of her elder brother, Srikanth Reddy.

The shooting was the latest in a string of mass killings in the
United States at an unprecedented rate. A dashcam footage that circulated
online shows a gunman getting out of a car and shooting at pedestrians.
According to authorities, he was shot dead by a nearby police officer.