HYDERABAD: Russian cyclist Oleg Vershinin (45) is set to fly back home. But his experiences in Telangana, and perhaps all of India, will remain in his memory for both good and bad reasons. Olen's ambitious cycling trip across the globe came to an abrupt halt in Telangana after he was attacked by a farmer while trying to erect a tent in cultivated land in Kamareddy district. The farmer, who also suffered injuries in the attack, and Oleg couldn't communicate with each other resulting in the scuffle.
Oleg suffered three fractures in the attack. However, things took a turn for good since Oleg got admitted to the Osmania General Hospital. “I grew up loving Raj Kapoor’s movies as an eight-year-old child. Though I am saddened by the fact that I had to cut short my Nepal tour, this incident will not affect my love for India,” Oleg told Helping Hand Foundation volunteers at the hotel before he left for Delhi on Thursday to catch a flight bound to Moscow.
Constable CH Srinivas, attached to the Bhiknoor Police Station, has been by the Russian national's bedside since he was admitted at OGH on April 7. Srinivas says he did not even go home to meet his family members for seven straight days as Oleg needed his help. "I used to sleep by his side on the floor," says Srinivas. "Only after a replacement was found for me, I took permission and went home to see my family," he says.
Since Oleg does not understand English, he and Srinivas downloaded a mobile app that translates speech from one language into texts in an other language.
During his 12-day long stay at OGH, volunteers from Helping Hand Foundation helped him by providing a special diet as his jaw was fractured. The NGO also arranged a train ticket to New Delhi.
"We took extra care of Oleg as we wanted him to take back positive memories of Hyderbad after the unfortunate incident at Nizamabad - he is not just an international guest but also a national from a friendly country," says Mujtaba Hasan Askari, president of the Helping Hand Foundation.