GUNTUR: With the Indian embassy in Kyiv issuing the third advisory asking Indian students to leave Ukraine, which may come under attack by Russia anytime, temporarily rather than waiting for an official confirmation on the conduct of classes from their respective universities, many students are in a hurry to leave the East European country.
This has resulted in heavy rush and delay in flight bookings, leaving many Indian students in distress, said Sasi Preyatham, a fifth-year MBBS student of Zaporozhye State Medical University in Zaporizhzhia, who returned from Ukraine.
Speaking to TNIE, he said, “I booked my ticket soon after the Indian embassy issued the second advisory and that is why I managed to return home safely without any hassles. A few of my classmates who waited long, are now stuck in Ukraine. They are unable to get flight tickets and the same is the situation with many Indian students in our university.’’
Sasi’s father M Vijaya Sekhar works in the Postal Department in Guntur, while his mother Jyothi is a senior assistant in the Irrigation Department in Telangana.
Narrating the situation there, he said about 4,000-5,000 Indian students are studying in the university. “Our university is located far from the Ukraine border, so the situation is not alarming there. However, we are more disturbed about missing classes than our safety. This is really a crucial period in our medical course and there is uncertainty over the resumption of classes in the present circumstances.’’
Sasi explained that the panic and anxiety of parents about our safety have made things a little problematic. “While constantly assuring them of our safety, we are forced to contact the university management about the conduct of classes and book our flight tickets accordingly. Due to my parents’ pressure, I booked my flight tickets two weeks before and that is why I returned home early.’’
As the situation seems to be going out of hand in Ukraine, more and more Indian students are now leaving that country and due to which the rush has increased heavily in the last couple of days, making it difficult for many to get flight tickets, he elaborated.
The university management has issued a circular to resume classes from March 9. “Fearing that I may not be able to get flight tickets to Ukraine, I booked my return tickets also. Most of the final-year students are still hesitating to leave that country."
"The students are requesting the Indian embassy to coordinate with the university managements and ensure the conduct of online classes. Otherwise, it should get the resumption of classes extended to enable the Indian students to make their travel arrangements accordingly to return to Ukraine after normalcy returns," he added.