New Delhi/ Haveri: latest Shekharappa Gyangoudar, a 21-year-old boy from Karnataka, who became the first Indian casualty in the ongoing war in Ukraine, was in his fourth year of MBBS at Kharkiv National Medical University and was out to buy food and exchange currency when a Russian rocket hit him. The city’s historic Freedom Square.
Naveen, younger son of retired paper mill worker Shekharappa Gyanagoudar and VijaylakshmiHe hails from Chalgeri in Haveri district of Karnataka. “We had dreams for our son. They are scattered now,” Shekharappa told TOI.
He said that his son, who had scored 97% in his pre-university course, was a gifted student who was driven out of a country by a “system”, where private higher education institutions were financially out of reach. .
I found out that I would have to spend anywhere between Rs 85 lakh to Rs 1 crore to put him in a private medical college. That’s when I decided to send him to Ukraine, but it proved far more expensive,” said Shekharappa Gyangoudar, Naveen’s father.
“Due to the education system and casteism, he did not get a seat despite being an intelligent student,” Gyangoudar was quoted as saying by PTI. “I am disappointed with our political system, education system and casteism. Everything is under the control of private institutions..,” he was quoted as saying.
Gyangoudar said that he had borrowed money from his friends and relatives to send Naveen to Ukraine to study MBBS. Naveen lived in an apartment with some of his friends. His family said he used to call home five to six times a day since the fight broke out and went to a bunker under the flat.
Amit Vaishyar, Naveen’s senior at the university, said he had left the bunker at around 6 am local time for the mart in the city centre. “At 7.58 am, he texted a friend to transfer money to his phone wallet. At 8.10 a.m., we got a call from a local man, who told us that he was not there,” Amit said, adding, “All of us were living in the bunker for four days without adequate food and water.”
Naveen’s elder brother JoyThe PhD student in Bangalore said that his brother has to appear for the eighth semester exam in June and do an internship.
“Who could have thought we’d lose him forever?” A childhood friend called Naveen “the humble child of a humble family”. Nandini ACA second-semester MBBS student from Arkere in Tumakuru district said she heard about Naveen’s death on the college’s WhatsApp group and was flooded with memories of the happy times.
“We went to Freedom Square to celebrate the New Year. That building was demolished on Tuesday. It went, like Naveen,” she said. Nandini said that after Naveen’s death, students are getting worried about their safety.
“Every moment brings fear as there is heavy shelling. Our parents are concerned about our safety and have asked us not to go out of the bunker. We don’t even have drinking water.” According to him, in western Ukraine, students considered relatively safe were being rescued, while those stranded in the war-torn eastern side.
Naveen, younger son of retired paper mill worker Shekharappa Gyanagoudar and VijaylakshmiHe hails from Chalgeri in Haveri district of Karnataka. “We had dreams for our son. They are scattered now,” Shekharappa told TOI.
He said that his son, who had scored 97% in his pre-university course, was a gifted student who was driven out of a country by a “system”, where private higher education institutions were financially out of reach. .
I found out that I would have to spend anywhere between Rs 85 lakh to Rs 1 crore to put him in a private medical college. That’s when I decided to send him to Ukraine, but it proved far more expensive,” said Shekharappa Gyangoudar, Naveen’s father.
“Due to the education system and casteism, he did not get a seat despite being an intelligent student,” Gyangoudar was quoted as saying by PTI. “I am disappointed with our political system, education system and casteism. Everything is under the control of private institutions..,” he was quoted as saying.
Gyangoudar said that he had borrowed money from his friends and relatives to send Naveen to Ukraine to study MBBS. Naveen lived in an apartment with some of his friends. His family said he used to call home five to six times a day since the fight broke out and went to a bunker under the flat.
Amit Vaishyar, Naveen’s senior at the university, said he had left the bunker at around 6 am local time for the mart in the city centre. “At 7.58 am, he texted a friend to transfer money to his phone wallet. At 8.10 a.m., we got a call from a local man, who told us that he was not there,” Amit said, adding, “All of us were living in the bunker for four days without adequate food and water.”
Naveen’s elder brother JoyThe PhD student in Bangalore said that his brother has to appear for the eighth semester exam in June and do an internship.
“Who could have thought we’d lose him forever?” A childhood friend called Naveen “the humble child of a humble family”. Nandini ACA second-semester MBBS student from Arkere in Tumakuru district said she heard about Naveen’s death on the college’s WhatsApp group and was flooded with memories of the happy times.
“We went to Freedom Square to celebrate the New Year. That building was demolished on Tuesday. It went, like Naveen,” she said. Nandini said that after Naveen’s death, students are getting worried about their safety.
“Every moment brings fear as there is heavy shelling. Our parents are concerned about our safety and have asked us not to go out of the bunker. We don’t even have drinking water.” According to him, in western Ukraine, students considered relatively safe were being rescued, while those stranded in the war-torn eastern side.