Jaeden Gomes Pereira while being recieved at Dabolim Airport by Seema Gadekar, Jt Mamlatdar Salcette in the presence of parents Onofre and Anita Gomes Pereira.
Photo Credits: Vikram Nayak
VASCO
Jaeden Gomes Pereira of Benaulim, who was the last of the 21 Goan students stranded in war-torn Ukraine, arrived in the State on Saturday evening after enduring two traumatic weeks inside a bunker amid intense war in Sumy-Ukraine.
The 19-year-old Goan, who was welcomed by Jt Mamlatdar of Salcete Seema Gadekar in the presence of his parents at Dabolim Airport, said he was relieved to be back home after all the ordeal he had been through in Sumy-Ukraine.
"I was in Ukraine for almost a year, and it was a good experience till war started, and I have learnt a lot from this experience. I was in Sumy and there was an acute shortage of food and water, but the Indian Embassy later provided us with food, water and other essentials. We have witnessed a lot of shelling and even seen bombs explode which scared all of us. The only hope for us was the Indian embassy, we appreciate their efforts in evacuating us," said Jaeden.
"My return would have never been possible without PM Narendra Modi and the efforts of the Indian embassy officials, Narendra Sawaikar and Anthony D'Souza, director of the NRI office," Jaeden added.
Jt Mamlatdar of Salcete, Seema Gadekar, who welcomed Jaeden at Dabolim Airport, congratulated him and his parents saying the efforts of the Indian government resulted in bringing the students back home safely.
Anita Gomes Pereira, the mother of Jaeden, said that the family was in distress for almost two weeks.
"Bombings and shellings were going on at the place where these students were living, and the Russian army was passing from Sumy to attack places in Ukraine. The students were in grave danger as they could not get out at all amidst the attacks. One time, he told us that a jet passed by and dropped a bomb close to the hostel and they had to run into bunkers and also faced issues for food and water," said Anita.
Anita appreciated the social media and the press for highlighting the issue before the government.
"The government acted quickly, and I want to convey my heartfelt gratitude to the PM Narendra Modi and the officials of the Indian embassy in Delhi and Ukraine along with the efforts of the NRI commission. The Sumy project was not easy. They needed a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors were opened, and though it was violated several times, the government did not give up and got our children back safely. I also want to thank the Goa government led by CM Pramod Sawant and Narendra Sawaikar and Anthony D'souza of the NRI commission who was in touch with Jaeden and kept updating the status. I must also thank God for his intervention and also all the people who prayed for us," a relieved mother said.
Jaeden's father, Onofre Gomes Pereira, said he was happy to see his son back from Ukraine.
"He had tough days and led a fearful life living in bunkers. He told us on many occasions that bombings were going on as we spoke to him. It was a three-day-long journey to Poland as Sumy is situated in the east and Poland in the extreme west. Jaeden faced a tough time during this extremely risky journey. He has come back as a brave soldier and he has learnt a lot of things now on how to move in life with determination and how to take care of himself, especially when parents are far away. He wishes to go back and complete his studies once things are normal and we will wish him all the best. We must thank PM Narendra Modi because it is not easy to bring two leaders of Russia and Ukraine together for this evacuation. It was the great effort of the Indian embassy who put things together and brought him back home. I also want to thank Goa CM Pramod Sawant who communicated with the PM about Goan students stranded in Ukraine, and got them home safely," said the father.
Jaeden was the lone Goan student along with hundreds of students in Sumy-Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis and they were safely evacuated from Sumy, after intense diplomatic efforts by Indian embassy officials.
A table tennis player who has represented Goa, Jaeden was a second-year veterinary science student. He along with some students from Kerala and Tamil Nadu had been pursuing education at the Sumy National Agrarian University before the war broke out.
Amid the heavy fighting between Russia and Ukraine in Sumy, Jaeden and the other students were forced to seek shelter in a bunker near the university with limited provisions for food and water for two weeks.
