DAVANAGERE: Three students from Davanagere, who are residing in Chernistvi city in western Ukraine and studying at the Bukovinian State Medical University, are anxious about their return.
Another student from Chitradurga is stuck at Kyiv after a bomb explosion near the airport. Misba Noor from Chitradurga landed in Chernistvi from Sharjah only on Wednesday. She was in for a shock on Thursday morning when news of the war broke out in her hostel. She immediately stopped unpacking and has decided to return.
Speaking to TNIE, Mohammed Abid Ali said, ‘The first thing I did on getting to know about the war was to store food and I have enough to last a month. However, I faced hardship in getting the Ukrainian hryvnia currency as almost all ATMs in the locality have run dry and people are standing in long queues.”
“We have contacted the Indian Student Society, which is in constant touch with the Indian embassy in Ukraine and neighbouring Romania so that we can reach our motherland safely. They have also informed us that the Indian embassy will arrange for buses for evacuation of Indians in Ukraine and we hope to reunite with our parents soon,” he said.
To a question on whether he had contacted his family, Ali said, “I spoke to my father, Prof Shoukath Ali, and he boosted my confidence and told me not to panic.” Syeeda Habeeba, another student at the same university, is anxious.
She collected some food items from a nearby supermarket and also some currency. “I am clueless about what to do next. However, I am in constant touch with my family and other Indian students who are planning to reach Romania.” Her father Syed Ashfaqulla is a businessman and she is the first in her family to study MBBS.
Suneha Thippeswamy, a student from Chitradurga, is stuck in Kyiv. She was to return to India. But when she was about to enter the airport, there was an explosion. She quickly took shelter at a friend’s house in Kyiv.