INDORE: A siren blares. It's not the oven or smoke alarm. The teacher freezes in panic. Over 7,000km away, in Bhopal, students shudder to see their teacher in Kyiv, Ukraine, terrified. It's a terror each of them knows all too well.
Ukraine universities have resumed online classes even as a war rages all around them. For Indian medical students, now home and on the other side of the screen, it's a surreal experience. During classes, in the background, they often hear sirens, explosions and the unmistakable staccato of automatic gunfire.
Many of their teachers are taking classes from bunkers and even hospitals in the middle of a war - a stunning testament to the fighting spirit of the Ukrainians.
Indore's third year medical student, Yukti Verma, told TOI how the sirens blared during an online class on Thursday. Her teacher broke down. The Indian students suggested she take a break, but she composed herself and continued teaching them, saying: "Let's focus on our studies."
The classes may be online but there is nothing virtual about the trauma on either side of the screen. The students, now back in the safety of their homes, cannot forget the terror when they were caught in the middle of a war none of them had imagined.
Verma, who reached Indore on March 4, still panics when she hears a siren, especially when it's for her faculty members. In order to extend their support and express gratitude, Indian medical students have put up the Ukrainian flag as their profile pictures. SFifth-year medical student, Indore's Pranay Rao, told TOI, "Our faculty members are busy treating injured soldiers and civilians. At the same time, they are finding time to teach us. Their stress is extremely evident. But their fortitude is unbelievable." In spite of the war and their medical duties, teachers are clocking six to seven hours of lectures every day.
Moved by the courage of teachers, Indore's fifth-year medical student, Shubham Jirati, said: "We have no words to express our respect. Even in this crisis, our teachers want to ensure that we don't lose out on studies." There is no change in the teaching schedule despite the war - 12:30pm-6pm IST.
The students are holding on to hope that they can resume normal classes in Ukraine in September, or six months from now.
