Mahesh. K (name changed to protect identity) continues to be haunted by the night of February 24, 2022. The thunderous noise and the sound of shattering glass continues to ring in his ears to this day. The next morning, he learnt that Ukraine was under attack by Russian forces. At 21, Kumar had experienced an aerial bombardment, something most people don’t in a lifetime. He was evacuated in a week, going back in January last year to finish the six-year MBBS programme at Odessa National Medical University.
“Bombs were raining literally and even the neighbourhood was not visible in the resultant dust and smoke. I almost stared at death in the eyes. When I eventually made it back, my parents were relieved to see me in one piece,” he recalls.
Sitting now in the safety of his home at Thrikkakara in Ernakulam district, Kerala, the 23-year-old remains tense, though. This time, the worry is over his future career as a doctor.
