From politicians supervising Operation Ganga to few senior ministers reaching Ukraine’s neighboring countries to welcome the Indian nationals who were being airlifted from locations around the war zone to pilots going beyond their call of duty in flying them back—fellow Indians are doing their best to give a warm welcome to each Indian coming back from war-torn Ukraine
Around 1,870 Indians returned home by 10 flights that landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). From politicians supervising Operation Ganga to few senior ministers reaching Ukraine’s neighboring countries to welcome the Indian nationals who were being airlifted from locations around the war zone to pilots going beyond their call of duty in flying them back—fellow Indians are doing their best to give a warm welcome to each Indian coming back from war-torn Ukraine.
The chaos and conflict that the young students had to face in their bid to escape Ukraine since the bombing and airstrikes began has been heart rendering. To make their landing smoother and reaching home easier, Mumbai International Airport went all in and took it on them to do the needful as their bit. A CSMIA spokesperson said, “We blocked a special corridor for student arrivals to make them feel comfortable and expedite further ado. We also fenced in a special area at the airport for the arriving passengers to sit and provided them with free WiFi codes, food, and water bottles, along with providing them with any guidance, lodging or medical assistance, if required at the time of arrival. We hope their homecoming was short of nothing.”
“This war has shown myriad colours of humanity. I have seen humans fight one another in real on the battlefield but what I cannot oversee is the help I received. The help didn’t end by just helping us reach our homeland. Mumbai International Airport provided with transportation, convenience, and food even in the middle of the night. Humanity does exist and a war cannot make it go into the thin air. The whole situation made me even prouder to be an Indian.”
— Bhargavi Patel, a student from Gujarat who returned home
From parents to students who were evacuated from Ukraine heaved a sigh of relief as the flight carrying them reached their homeland turf. “It was an instant relief as soon as I landed at Mumbai International Airport,” said Bhargavi Patel, a student from Gujarat who returned home, “This war has shown myriad colours of humanity. I have seen humans fight one another in real on the battlefield but what I cannot oversee is the help I received. The help didn’t end by just helping us reach our homeland. Mumbai International Airport provided with transportation, convenience, and food even in the middle of the night. Humanity does exist and a war cannot make it go into the thin air. The whole situation made me even prouder to be an Indian”
Scenes of tearful reunion were seen at CSMIA with large number of relatives of homebound passengers present at the arrival concourse of the Airport to receive their near and dear ones. The last of the planned flights to bring back those who reached Ukraine’s bordering nations will depart today i.e., March 10. With a majority of the Indians being pulled out of conflict zones and flown back home, the Indian side has begun winding down the evacuation efforts and appreciating the unsung heroes and volunteers across borders.
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