Inside the Hidden World of Indian Students in Eastern Europe

In May this year he received an invitation letter, applied for his visa and flew via Istanbul in June to Vilnius in Lithuania. He explained what happened next.

 “I was taken from the airport by [name redacted] to an apartment near Vilkpede to live with four Indians, a boy from Sri Lanka and two Africans. The next day I was told I had to start work and became a courier.”

 Anuj said he worked 12 hours per day, Monday to Saturday and received “very little money”. In early-August he was told to visit the university and present his documents. They informed him that he needed to pay approximately $5,500 in fees.

 “The woman told me that I was late to submit my documents, so I had a penalty to pay. I told her I had not the money [needed] and she told me my visa would be revoked and I would be deported.”

 At a loss he went to the local Catholic church, where he attended Sunday mass, and the parish priest introduced him to a professor from Belarus who was teaching in Vilnius. He suggested applying to a university in Belarus.

 “One of the Indian men in my apartment got on a plane to Ireland, I don’t know what happened to him, everyone else wanted to go to Europe and they said I was crazy to go to Belarus.”

 Anuj connected with one institution in Minsk who offered a place in their ‘language preparation course’, plus a dorm room.

 “I am very happy now, as I can study both my Master’s and the language, plus I got a part-time job in a supermarket.” I asked what he plans to do afterwards. “I just began this study and we will see. I certainly do not want to be back in Vilnius or run illegally to England. I have two years, then we will see.”

 The company who organised his visa and ‘scholarship’ have been reported to the Vilnius police department. Their WhatsApp number is no longer connected. From what the investigator from the Vilnius authorities told me the scam is being operated by a gang based in the Ukrainian city of Lvov. However, she noted that such outfits normally disappear every “half year and surface as a new identity fronted by the same people.”

 The same church group introduced me to Maria from Goa, a medical student in her final year at a Minsk university. We met outside the small chapel of Saint Roch in the city centre.

 “It was rather hard to come by a place without paying large sums of money at home, so my brother asked me to look abroad. Initially Russia looked promising, but I was late with my application. I was accepted in Ireland and it was a dream, but my goodness the cost. My family wanted me to go there [to Ireland] and were gathering money, then by chance this came up.”

 The ‘this’ was a scholarship to study in Belarus. Maria is now in her 7th and final year, having undertaken a 3-month intensive course in Russian language before beginning her studies proper. So now Ireland is back in play? I asked.

 “You might be surprised,” she smiles, “I got a job offer in the American Clinic in Moscow.”

 Having had a leg injury misdiagnosed multiple times at the same place in 2007, I asked if she was sure. She laughed and told me that she’ll improve it. When I asked if her family are ok with the move, she admits they are nervous.

 “They see every day the attacks [by Ukraine] on Russia and even in Moscow, so naturally they worry. I, personally, have no worries. I know a great many Indians through medical studies in Moscow and no one has told me - don’t come.”

 Over a thousand Indian citizens are currently studying in Belarus and H.E. Alok Ranjan Jha, then Ambassador of India to Belarus, told me last November that there are “less than minimal fears” for their safety. Both Anuj and Maria echoed this.

 “I have regularly walked home late at night from the clinic or just from being outside, never a thought of being unsafe,” she said.

 As an exit question, for both, I asked if the stories of racism and discrimination in Western Europe tainted their views in any way.

 “I did think, often, that I wanted to go to London where I have family. They’re quite happy, so no, it did not affect my view. I consider more the economic pressure. I don’t want to be in the position like in Vilnius and [living] day-to-day.” He added that he never felt any discrimination in Lithuania and that most locals he dealt with were polite.

 “In Goa I met many western peoples and at forums here and in Russia and in Germany. Nobody said bad things, though I hear, no, I read of attacks in Ireland and now maybe my mind has been changed. I almost went to Dublin for study, it could be me being beaten or raped or worse. I think I’m safer here, or Russia.”

 Those last two sentences were like daggers to my heart. My homeland is not unsafe and is welcoming to outsiders. I know this as I have a great many contacts and friends who moved to or spent substantial time in Ireland. Not all their experiences were amazing, though all speak fondly of the Emerald Isle. So to sit outside a chapel in Minsk with a Goan girl and hear her remark so bluntly about my native isle hurt like hell.

 Emotions and ego aside, I admired the pair for their resilience, bravery and ‘can do - will do’ attitudes. Most young men in Anuj’s situation crumble or get involved in nefarious activities, he stayed strong and has found a positive path.

 Many young women like Maria would allow societal aspirations to control her view of what and where she should go. Instead she is currently interning with a top orthopedic surgeon and headhunted to start work in a clinic that caters for Russia’s western executives and well-to-do locals.

 I’ll leave the last word to Anuj.

 “My time of difficulty was very short, very. I now appreciate what I have because of this and am grateful for this second chance. Many don’t get even one.”