THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When there is a mad scamper among Indian students to return to their home state from the war-affected Ukraine, a group of Malayali doctors who passed out from various medical universities from there held a solidarity meet, #standwithUkraine, in New Delhi on Saturday. Their demand is that Russia and Ukraine should go for a ceasefire agreement so that all the expatriates can be safely evacuated.
With 70 per cent of Indians trapped in the capital city, Kyiv and Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, there is uncertainty among the stranded students on how to reach the border cities. Now India has started sending flights to neighbouring countries and there is a mad rush for everyone stranded there to get onto the next flight back.
It was at this juncture Dr Amal Santhosh, a postgraduate medical student belonging to the Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Kyiv, who is currently in New Delhi, held a solidarity meet near Mandi House there. There are only a handful of medical students from India pursuing post-graduation in medical science in Ukraine. As many as 50 people including students, parents and former students attended the solidarity meet. Dr Amal told TNIE that he doesn’t expect Ukraine to give up before Russia easily, fearing for the outcome.
“We don’t want to see our friends, students, colleagues and their families suffer on Ukrainian soil. With food and water scarcity being reported in cities like Kharkiv, things are not looking good. A ceasefire agreement should be signed by Russia and Ukraine so that there will be adequate time to evacuate everyone or else they need to end this war mutually,” said 27-year-old Dr Amal, a resident of Nedumankavu in Kollam. He says at least 50 flights are required for the safe evacuation of 25,000 Indians stranded there.
Dr Amal had come down to Kerala on January 6 on vacation. After making arrangements for the smooth trip of the new winter batch students during January, Dr Amal was gearing up to return to Kyiv when war broke out. About two years ago, Dr Amal, being a senior medical student, had formed the Kharkiv Malayali Association which has more than 1000 students as members. Currently, he is coordinating the repatriation of Indian students by camping in New Delhi.