TIRUCHY: Palaniappan Ramesh of Karumandapam in the city is busy with calls from relatives and friends, some just checking on him and others curious to learn of his days in Israel, as the 24-year-old is among the first batch of Indians to have been flown back home from the war-hit nation under Operation Ajay. The PG student of biotechnology at Bharathidasan University who landed in Israel in December 2022 to pursue research at The Weizmann Institute of Science recollected his experience of being caught in the conflict before managing to return to his native on Saturday.
Calling Israel a great country where he made several friends, he said, “We never expected that it would face such a situation.” "I will never forget the day of the first attack (by Hamas),” he went on to recollect. “I woke up that day hearing loud sirens from the Iron Dome system. It was a signal for us to immediately head to the bunker in our building. I spent about two hours there. Then, normalcy prevailed for some time. But again we heard another siren going off and I returned to the bunker. It was then that I came to know about the attack on Israel by Hamas. We were frightened and concerned," he added.
Just when hopes were fading the Indian Embassy reached out to him inquiring about his whereabouts in Rehovot, Palaniappan said. "On the second day, I got a call from the Indian Embassy and they asked for my details. I also received calls from the Tamil Nadu government. They came as great relief. The embassy did everything for our safe evacuation and return. I am thankful to the Union and the state government for their assistance," he added.
Ramesh, Palaniappan's father, said, "We were so worried when we learnt about the attack on Israel. The state government immediately responded to the issue and came up with a helpline number. We got in touch through it and my son’s details were collected. We appreciate their immediate response.” Meanwhile, Palaniappan said, “Once everything is brought under control, I will consider going back to Israel to complete my project."