In Memoriam: Prof. Vineet Chaitanya (1945 – 2026)

Prof. Vineet Chaitanya, a pioneer of Natural Language Processing (NLP) research in India, passed away on 31 January at the age of 81, after a brief illness at his family home in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh. 

Prof. Chaitanya made seminal contributions to the field through his formulation of Computational Paninian Grammar for NLP in Indian languages. He consistently championed research that translated into real-world systems, guided by a strong commitment to social good. A Chinmaya Mission sanyasi and a true karmayogi, he served with distinction at several institutions, including IIT Kanpur and IIIT Hyderabad.

He was associated with the Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) from its inception, and his passing is a profound personal and professional loss to the LTRC community and the institute at large.

IIIT Hyderabad expresses its deepest condolences to the family of Prof. Vineet Chaitanya and prays for peace to his departed soul.

February 2026