Another batch of nearly 100 students, who landed safely Friday in Ahmedabad from Ukraine, said the war will leave a greater psychological impact on them than the physical torment undergone to reach back home.
Students from 21 districts across Gujarat studying in Kharkiv and other parts of the war-torn nation were received by Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani at Gandhinagar Circuit House Friday morning from where they were headed to their homes by road.
Longing to reach his house at Modasa in Aravalli district, Lukman Ahmed Dadu (22), a final-year medical student in Kharkiv, braved the challenges and decided to walk back home even when three of his other flatmates from Gujarat stayed back and tried to dissuade him with the looming threat of bombing and shelling.
“We have not seen or gone through any such situation in our lives. This is certainly going to leave an impact in our minds but we seniors tried to put up a comparatively brave face during these harrowing times than the juniors. They were the ones who panicked the most after seeing the destruction, bombing and shelling,” he said.
Bhargav, 23, from Satisana village in Vadodara, who had gone to Kyiv four months back, is a first-year business management student. He said he would not return even if someone invites him for free.
“The fear of what I have seen and gone through these last few days will remain with me forever. I will not go to a smaller country ever again… We have seen the attacks with our eyes and feel fortunate to be able to return home safely,” Bharghav, who started for India on the first day of the war, said.
He said everyone with him panicked. “We have not seen something like this in our lives before. Also, we did not expect that the war would start and the situation will be so bad. Else, I had booked my tickets on February 18 but got it cancelled twice,” he added.
Bhargav and the other boys — a group of five students, all from Gujarat — walked continuously for two days to cover 50-60 kms to reach the Poland border where they had to wait for five days to cross, taking one day each to cross a checkpoint. “With snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, we waited day and night in the open.”
Lukman, too, left his flat on February 28 and reached home on March 4. “I was alone. So I waited and tried to board two trains at Kharkiv railway station before I could finally make it on the third and last train. Even trains were with all curtains down every time they were moving. When the drivers sensed danger, they would halt and put off all the lights. By the time the war broke out, we had stocked food and water in our flat. But when my father pushed me to leave and return home, my three other flatmates did not agree but I decided to move alone till Poland border,” Lukman told The Indian Express.
Gujarat: Won’t go back even if they invite for free, say students as another batch return
