Despite having good grades, they were forced to study medicine in Ukraine as they did not get a chance in this country. The cost of medical education and accommodation there is much less than this country. After completing the course, there is no obstacle to practising in a first-tier country like Germany.
Now that the war has started, the students walk miles to save their lives from the bullets and missiles. Sometimes 2 days in a row, sometimes 5 days in a row to reach the border of Poland or Romania. They are not allowed to get on the train or bus on the way. The priority is given to locals.
So our children are dependent on huge costs in private cars which is not affordable to them. Walking is the only way. Water and food do not match on the way. The temperature is below zero — minus 6 degrees. There is a bunker in the distance, but there is also a huge crowd.
The bullets fly as soon as they come out; missiles as soon as the siren sounds; the rush starts.
21-year-old Harjot Singh is the victim of such a horrible experience. He is from Chhatarpur in Delhi. He was shot in the shoulder and leg. He is in the Kiev hospital with severe pain and wounds. The Indian government did not get on his side.
He has vomited that anger and pride; asked where the government is.
There is a government; it is still in existence. But only in propaganda and in the distribution of the words of the ministers. In the photo session in their expensive suit. In the festival of collecting votes. When the wrecked bodies of the helpless students are reaching neighbouring countries after crossing 600–700 kilometres accompanied by uncertainty.
Where war is going on, missiles are being fired; the government does not even have a ticket. A desperate attempt is being made to spread the image of students taking C-17 aircraft from neighbouring Poland and Romania. Four ministers are busy with this.
Operation Ganga Has Been Proudly Named
Under Operation Ganga, so far 76 flights have brought over 15920 Indians back to India. Out of these 76 flights, 13 flights landed in the last 24 hours: Govt of India
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2022
In the last two rounds of campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, it is not the plight of the students or the hope of the future that has bought the votes. This is also a parallel war. It is being said that it is by the grace of Modiji that the students returned to the country with their lives in their hands. On the return flight, the slogan “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” is being chanted.
In fact, war never stops. Keep going. In return, only his form and form. A year ago, the deadly virus SARS Cov II threatened human civilisation. How many lives were lost due to lack of oxygen in that unequal battle? They do not count. After one year, the virus has weakened after many waves. But the war did not stop. Only the perspective has changed.
This time it is not a biological war; people are intoxicated with one of the biggest killing games of the century against people. The lust for power and global grandeur is bound to destroy human civilisation. The proliferation of nuclear weapons is also peeking out.
A year ago, we were injured when we saw a line of helpless migrant workers returning home. Mile after mile of exhausted bodies, no water, no food, endless walking to return home. The war was on the soil of the country.
And this year, the war has spread to Kiev, Kharkiv, Sumy. The boys and girls of our common house are walking. Helpless parents are up at home. Talking to their child on a video call, the phone charge is running out. Again, the hours of anxiety are numbered, lost in the darkness.
Ukraine’s Resistance
As I write this, Kiev, Kharkiv, Kherson are still fighting. A country decorated like a beautiful dream is turning into a ruin. Putin calculated that Ukraine would be occupied within 72 hours. That did not happen. The war is in the second week. History will always remember the way President Zelensky’s forces are building up their resistance against one of the world’s most powerful nations.
It turns out that there are still fearless people on this planet who have straightened their spines. Those who are not easily made to bow their heads.
Whatever the outcome of this war, it is needless to say that victory is of the once comedian head of state of Ukraine Zelensky in a moral battle. His immense patience and bravery in front of the world have already been especially appreciated. He has also received diplomatic support from all over the world.
On the one hand, as resistance has developed, Russia is gaining momentum because of this moral defeat. Even Moscow’s participation in the upcoming World Cup is in doubt.
What The Plight Of Medical Students Says About India’s Education System
But the biggest question mark behind the war’s devastation is our overall education system. Our Ministry of Education is so big. Officers, there is no shortage of ministers.
There is also the boastful propaganda of the new education policy. What a plan. But where is its implementation? Why are hundreds of ordinary children going to a country with half the population of our state at such a young age for a degree? This country and its government will never think of fulfilling their dream.
Just win the vote and the work is over. Don’t see any attempt to find out where the fault is.
Naveen Shekharappa, a final year medical student, died after being hit by a Russian missile while out for food. He ran out of food after being trapped inside a tow bunker. A final year student at Kharkiv National Medical University, he set out in search of some food and water.
His home is in a remote village in Karnataka. His dad worked in a paper mill. Holding the pain of his son’s death in his chest, he said one word in a tone of pride; he got 96% marks in the examination. However, he could not get admission to any government medical college. And in the private sector, the cost of medical education in this country is too high.
This is the consequence of handing over the education system to the rich and big corporates. So Naveen was forced to migrate to Ukraine. But Russian missiles erased his dream. The condition of his parents can be easily guessed after losing a young man of 21 years.
Who Do We Blame?
I ask Modiji, will you blame Nehru for this failure?
Those in power are not willing to accept that politics does not take place in this valley of sorrow. The government must make immediate arrangements for those who have returned home from the battlefield so that they can finish the incomplete study while sitting in this country. Get to work. Do not drown in despair. Pride back in the country; this is the only demand.
It is uncertain when Ukraine will turn around again.
If you come from Odesa, you still have the opportunity to study medicine here with Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE). That law needs to be changed if necessary.
At present, there are 269 government and 260 private medical colleges in the country. Not only sound education but alertness and dedication too are required. The higher education system does not go out of the hands of the common people.
In fact, trying to brighten one’s image by standing on the story of helplessness and broken dreams of so many students is by no means justified.
Modiji, however, unknowingly blamed the previous government for all this. He said the problem was that the number of medical seats was not increased during the previous government. He has focused on increasing the number of seats. The problem will be solved.
If there is any problem in front of the country, he becomes a hero by putting the blame on Nehru and Congress. When it comes to Kashmir, the TRP raises the blame of the opposition. Eight years after coming to power, nothing could be a bigger farce.
The situation in Ukraine did not get worse overnight. The government knew something was about to happen. So why weren’t about 20,000 students removed earlier?
At the same time, I would say that the time is not for blame but introspection. The shipment of Indian talent on foreign soil is not new at all. The government had nothing to do with the fact that so many Indian students are admitted to Ukraine year after year dreaming of becoming doctors.
The government had the information that there are 20,000 medical students in Ukraine. The number is not small. Most of them are from ordinary backgrounds. Many parents have sold their land and sent their children to medical school. Where would they go if that only recourse was lost in the war?
Now the priority is to save lives amid war. But when the war ends, there is a big question mark over when these students will return to Kiev and Kharkiv and receive their certificates. Although little action has been taken, the government does not seem to have given much thought to the issue.
Despite announcing a temporary ceasefire, Moscow’s killing game has not ended a week later. On the contrary, the scope and intensity of the attack are increasing. Preparations for nuclear war are also in full swing. Everyone is wielding weapons, but never once thought that when a nuclear war breaks out, no one will come back victorious. It will be a dark day for all human civilisation.
No one wins this war. You can’t win. The whole human race is defeated. Hopefully, good intellect will emerge. World leaders will not make this mistake again.