Not in their wildest dreams or nightmares would the students, who landed back home on Sunday, have thought that they would be fleeing a war. Like thousands of other Indian medical seat aspirants, they chose to study in Ukrainian universities and were not expecting to be forced back home under such dire circumstances.
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Pooja Yadav, a first-year student at Bukovinian State Medical University (BSMU) in Chernivtsi, was in the first batch of evacuated students who landed in Bengaluru on Sunday morning.
Recalling the journey back home, she told The Hindu, “A week ago, we got an advisory from the Indian embassy not to stay back unless it was absolutely essential. We even had a ticket to India for February 25. But just before we had to leave, the airport was shut. I even had friends who had to board flights that day and ended up getting stuck in Kyiv. We were in one of the safest places. We didn’t see any bombings, shelling, nothing. So I felt very lucky.”
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Ms. Yadav, a Bengalurean, said the whole process of evacuation was done in an organised way. Her name was initially in the second list, but with some omissions, she found herself in the first list.
“The embassy got in touch with the Indian society (of the university) and they told us. We took a bus to the Romanian border, which was a two-hour journey. Then we had to wait for an hour. Then a bus took us to the airport. In between, there was immigration and all those procedures. Overall, it took 12 hours to reach the airport. The embassy in Romania took good care of us. The Romania to Mumbai flight was seven hours long,” she explained.
She also praised the Mumbai airport for accommodation and food, as well as the welcome they received at the Kempegowda International Airport. Though relieved, she is still worried for her friends still stranded in Ukraine, some in dangerous parts.
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“I still have friends stuck in other parts of Ukraine. I am in constant touch with them. Those in East Ukraine have been telling me about how when they hear an alarm, they run to the bunkers. They also tell me they hear firing and how unsafe it is,” she added.
Inchara S. Raj, also from the same year and university, spoke of how they had only gone to Ukraine in December 2021. “After the warning from the Indian embassy, I got a ticket for March 9, but the war began before that. However, we were very safe where we were. When the war started, we were asked to keep cash in hand and have provisions ready. But the next day, we were evacuated,” she said.
‘Would go back’
Despite the situation being uncertain at present, the evacuated students say given a chance, they would like to go back to their Ukrainian universities if the situation becomes normal again.
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“Ukraine is a beautiful country. If I can’t return, I will look for options in India. I may have to change the course because the fees are really high here,” said Ms. Yadav.
Ms. Rao shared a similar sentiment. “I’m so relieved to be back, but I’ll definitely return if things become normal again. Ukraine is a beautiful country with cooperative people. There are a lot of Indians. I didn’t feel homesick at all. There was also an Indian restaurant,” she said.
Similarly, Shreya Chandrashekar, who also landed at KIA with them, said one of the reasons she chose to go to Ukraine was on recommendation from her senior. “It is a good college. I will go back if the situation normalises. The education is very good, the country is good safety-wise too,” she said.