As the Russian Ukraine war intensifies and enters its second week, Indian nationals—mostly students—caught in the crossfire wait for embassy officials to evacuate them back home. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a crucial meeting with senior officials to review the Ukraine crisis.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), close to 17,000 Indians have already been airlifted back home and there are around 6,000 left in Ukraine and at shelter homes in its neighbouring countries.
Indian nationals who escaped Ukraine traveled to pre-determined shelter homes by road—taxis or buses, by train, and some even by foot. These shelter homes are at the borders Ukraine shares with Romania, Hungary, Moldova, and Poland.
BOOM spoke to several Indian students who shared their mixed experiences as they volunteered with the locals; virtual sightseeing or struggled to get basic food and water all the while endlessly waiting for embassy officials to tell them the magic words: Pack your bags, we're going home.
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We are sightseeing Budapest on Instagram
19-year-old Kondiparthy Rushita Sarma, has never been to Hungary. This is her first visit to Budapest, and she agrees it is a very beautiful city. But, Sarma has not yet seen the city. "I am sightseeing on Instagram," the 2nd year medical student said.
Sarma is one of the many students who escaped to Hungary from war-torn Ukraine. It took Sarma and her friends more than 30 hours to reach Hungary from Zaporizhzhia, which is Ukraine's last border on the Crimean side.
Sarma took the train and later a bus to reach her interim destination. However, in the melee, she was separated from her friends.
While Sarma made it to Budapest, her classmate Seema Gupta* (name changed on request) reached Gyor, in Northwest Hungary.
"We left our university almost four-five days ago and took a train to cross the border," Sarma said. The 2nd year medical student said the journey was long, uncomfortable, and suffocating because of the overcrowding.
"There was no washroom and many people fainted. The ambulance had to be called at the stations we stopped at," Gupta told BOOM.
Gupta, who is at a hotel in Gyor with 46 other students, said today was the first time she ate a proper meal. Since the past 10 days we have been surviving on chips, snacks, and chocolates," she added.
However, Sarma and Gupta are not interested in seeing the new country they suddenly find themselves in. They are worried about when they will go home. "There is no clarity on when we will go home," Gupta said. "Yesterday a few students left for the airport. But we have been told there are no flights today or tomorrow," she added.
While Gupta is constantly on the phone with embassy officials, Sarma and her friends are at their hotel waiting for further information. "Every time we made a plan to step out and see some of the city, we would get a call asking us to be ready to leave. So we just wait," Sarma added.
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Stranded at Pesochin, waiting for embassy officials to rescue us
19-year-old Sagarika Bhagatkar was one of the 800 students who walked to Pesochin, located on the outskirts of Kharkiv, on March 2. It is one of the three safe houses identified by the Ministry of External Affairs for Indian nationals who were stranded in Kharkiv. Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv has seen intense Russian attacks since the onset of the war.
Bhagatkar and other Indian nationals are now endlessly waiting for embassy officials to take them home. "The army—not sure whether they were Russian or Ukrainian—and the local police have been kind. They helped us reach the safe house," Bhagatkar said.
However, food is an issue. Since March 2, we got food only once, she added. The vegetarians did not even get that much. "We got half a bread and tea. That's it. Most are sick now because they haven't had food," Bhagatkar told BOOM.
Bhagatkar faced a fresh crisis early Friday morning when private contractors demanded US$500/per person to transport the students to Lviv, in Northwest Ukraine. Bhagatkar said the students were stranded because none of them have that much money. "We were told either pay up and come to Lviv, or go back to Kharkiv," Bhagatkar said. The 19-year-old medical student has decided to stay with 400 others. She said that the students are in touch with the Indian embassy, and they will wait for officials to evacuate them.
Also Read: How An Indian Turned His Restaurant In Ukraine Into A Shelter Home
Volunteering with the locals, playing UNO
Post-grad student M Sai Krishna's experience couldn't be more different. Krishna who left Kyiv on March 1, is at a shelter home in Milisauti—one of the three shelter homes in Romania. Krishna and at least 500 others have been looked after well by the locals who have never been in such a situation before.
Comparing his situation with that of his friends, Krishna appreciates the fact that he just got lucky. "One of my friends in the shelter home had to stay in tents for two nights before they were transferred in an indoor environment," Krishna told BOOM.
"The locals have gone out of their way to accommodate us. Milisauti is a small town of 4000 and they are catering to more than 2000 students who have passed through," the medical student added.
Compared to students who barely got food, Krishna and his friends have been feasting on pizzas, pastas, egg curry, sausages, chocolates, tea, coffee, bread jam and even vegan for those with dietary restrictions. "We literally got whatever we asked for," he said.
The Indian nationals at Milisauti have been sheltered in a school gymnasium equipped with airbags, mattresses, blankets, and pillows. There are only two bathrooms for boys and girls but other than that, there are no complaints, Krishna said.
To help pass the time, the students there watch movies, play card games like UNO, or simply chit chat. "I slept soundly on our first night in the shelter home. On the first day at the shelter home, I relaxed. The last few days in Ukraine were stressful," Krishna added. However, seeing the locals work hard, Krishna and his friends volunteered by serving food, making the bed, and generally helping out where they could.
Did you catch up on your studies? "No," pat came the reply.
"There was one lady who oversaw all volunteers. She said she would register us for early evacuation if we cleaned the bathrooms," Krishna revealed. He did not take up on the offer, Krishna said there were a few students who did.
As we were talking, Krishna heard the announcement he has been waiting for—"Pack your bags".
Krishna said it is likely he will catch the special flight for New Delhi out of Suceava airport at 3 pm (Ukrainian time).
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