POST CARD FROM RUSSIA
In a faraway land
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There is a strong Indian presence in most Russian cities, most of them being students pursuing a professional degree.
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The largest chunk of Indian students hails from Gujarat, followed by Punjab and U.P.
ELUSIVE DREAMS: Indian medical students in Russia.
BONE-CHILLING winds blowing from the Siberian plains greeted the Nikitin expedition which just arrived at Kazan, the capital of Tartarstan, an autonomous province within the Russian federation. This was the 12th day of the five-week journey which will take the expedition through five countries, including Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran, on the trail of Afanasy Nikitin, the 15th-century Russian trader who came all the way to India looking for goods to take back to his countrymen. But unlike Nikitin, who came on horseback, by boat and occasionally on foot, this Indian expedition has been travelling in three Mahindra Scorpio vehicles, for the most part along the Volga river.
The expedition began at the gorgeous Baltic city of St. Petersburg where the Nikitin manuscripts were first discovered. However, it was officially flagged off from Tver, a provincial town between St. Petersburg and Moscow by Mr. D. Manchanda, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Moscow. The flag-off ceremony took place against that perfect backdrop of Nikitin's statue on the banks of the Volga amidst a confetti of snowflakes. Prior to the flagging off, a reception was hosted for the expedition members by Mikhail Bershadsky, the Deputy Governor of Tver province at the Tver State Medical Academy. From Tver, the expedition moved to Moscow and thence to Nizhny Novgorod.
Memorable part
The most memorable slice of the journey so far has been the brief function at the Tver State Medical Academy which boasts as many as 700 Indian students, all studying for a medical degree. It was startling to hear Tamil voices on the staircase of the Tver Academy. The four youngsters chattering away in Tamil were equally surprised when hailed in their own tongue. Mary has come all the way from Kanyakumari just 10 days ago to join the medical programme at the Academy. Michael hails from Coonoor. Hari is from Chennai. They seem a bit out of their depth in this sub-zero zone. Being from sunny South India, they are ill-equipped for the Russian winter which is going to get much worse in the coming weeks. Already the temperature is minus three here today. The largest chunk of Indian students hails from Gujarat, followed by Punjab and U.P. There is even a vegetarian canteen that serves up Indian food in the college premises.
Indian presence is pronounced in all the four Russian towns through which the expedition has travelled so far. Virtually all of them are university students. Many of them discovered Russian universities through education counselling programmes and newspaper advertisements. At US $ 2800 a year including boarding, the fees are quite reasonable. The first two years they learn their subjects in English, but also learn the Russian language alongside. From the third year onwards, the teaching switches to Russian as students gain greater familiarity with the language. As many as 700 Indian students study at the St.Petersburg State University too. The Patrice Lumbumba University in Moscow has an even larger contingent of Indian students studying in a variety of disciplines.
Bleak prospects
Most Indian students are in Russia for acquiring a professional degree in medicine although the prospects for these students don't seem to be bright. On completion of their six-year medical degree, they cannot hope to be absorbed into Russia's State-run healthcare system. Even the odd one or two who do make it, find the emoluments too low. In fact, many Indian students who opt to stay back in Russia on completion of their education take up jobs, in entirely different fields, such as accountants and shop assistants. Our expedition members met many such. One of them, Tribhuvan, works for the Indian embassy in Moscow where his medical education does not have much use in his line of work.
But returning to India is not an easy option either. The Medical Council of India requires them to pass a tough test before they can begin medical practice in India. Having learnt their subjects in Russian, these children have to relearn all the medical terms in English, not a mean task. No wonder then the pass rate at the MCI exams is around 13 per cent.
What then lures these students to such faraway lands? "I was intent on getting into a medical course, but my Class XII marks were not good enough for me to make it to medical colleges in India. Then I saw this advertisement in the newspaper and applied along with a few of my friends. We all got admission without having to go through any more entrance exams. But having come here, I realise this place is quite different from what we had imagined" says Sudarshan from Thanjavur.
SUDHA MAHALINGAM
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