As someone who has always been interested in geopolitics and international affairs, the Russia-Ukraine tension is something I couldn't ignore because of the scale of issues at stake if both the countries moved towards war. Because I cover the Education beat for the Free Press Journal, my aim shifted to how I can amplify the voices of some from the many thousands of Indian students present in Ukraine. As the country houses some 18,000 Indian students, who mainly pursue medical courses from the country, their challenges have been an eye-opening experience for me as a reporter who joined the publication a month ago.
My plan of action was to reach out to many of them on various social media platforms to get their perspective on the entire situation, while also understanding the dilemmas they are facing with the threats of war and invasion right at the doorstep. Many students I talked to were from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, etc. who saw Ukraine as a country that provides quality education opportunities at much cheaper rates. I think getting to know them as individuals helped me in initiating the conversation further on their thoughts and ordeals concerning the situation.
I understood that every student has a different observation on how the Russia-Ukraine tension is affecting them. While some students shrugged off the intensity of the tension, others were eager to take the next flight out of Ukraine. Saad Ansari, a student, I talked to gave an account of his university maintaining bunkers to protect the students in possible warfare, while Firoz Ahmed talked about his university warning of repercussions in case students leave the country and do not attend lectures. The majority of the students I talked to were willing to stay back but were unsure about the promises made to them and the rising prices of flights which ranged between Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh made it a more harrowing way out for them.
I also saw the influence parents have on these students as the constant calls from them made these students not only more concerned but confident too as the calls became a sense of relief that at the end of the day they have a place they can call home. Even the exorbitant costs didn't matter at that point.
Lastly, I witnessed a common thread of resentment towards the Indian Embassy as to how they have communicated with the students. Many felt that the Embassy's statements didn't provide them any form of relief or detailed evacuation plans in case things go south. The case of Aadarsh Parashar for example, a student of Lviv University, who was stuck at Istanbul Airport after leaving Ukraine, is probably a significant example of a broader concern that many students shared. “Before the news broke about Russian troops pulling back, I had already booked my ticket. I am still stuck at Istanbul airport because Pegasus Airlines didn't let me catch my connecting flight from Istanbul to Doha as I didn't register on Ehteraz, an online portal for passengers transiting through Qatar,” said Aadarsh, who kept tweeting at the Indian Embassy authorities but to no avail.
While Russia and Ukraine dominated news channels, publications, digital space, etc., and will for weeks and months to come, Indian students will remain the centrepiece of the story. Their confidence in the decisions they made despite knowing the risks, is something I will remember for years to come.
