Afreen Hussain/Bengaluru
The father of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, 21, who was killed in Kharkiv where he was studying medicine, has raised serious questions about the caste-based admissions into the Indian medical colleges, due to which he meritorious son had to go to a foreign land to pursue medicine.
Shekarappa and his family who live in Chalageri village of district Haveri district of Karnataka, are waiting for their son’s body from Ukraine. People keep visiting the family and place flowers on the large picture of Naveen kept on a table as a tribute to this fourth-year medical student, who was killed by a stray bullet as he waiting to pick groceries outside a store.
Shekarappa explained why his son and many others who work hard to get good scores have to go abroad to become doctors, “We fall under the 3B category in the caste-based reservation in state and the general category in the all India list for admissions into the MBBS course. This leaves very few seats for our community in medicine. Middle and lower-middle-class people like us cannot afford to pay crores of rupees to secure a management seat for our children. And many parents like us have no option but to send children to faraway countries where the fees are comparatively lower.”
Naveen scored 97 percent in his Pre-University Course (PUC), and fell short of a few marks in NEET to secure an MBBS seat in India. However, others who had scored lesser marks were able to secure a seat due to the caste-based reservations.
“A change must be brought in the medical education system and the caste-based reservations must go. The system is faulty and the government must make necessary amends in the system so that the admissions are not grabbed by those who have money but also others, who aspire to become doctors,” he added.
Naveen was a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University. He was reportedly waiting in a queue to buy food when he was killed in Russian shelling on March 2.
“A bunch of voices are more effective than a single voice, I request the government and the citizens of India to help us get our son’s mortal remains back to India. Our world came shattering down after Naveen was killed, we at least deserve to put him to rest with love and respect,” Shekarappa concluded.
“The priority was to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine, now that most of them have been brought back, we have been assured by the government that Naveen’s mortal remains will be brought here in a day or two. The body has been embalmed and is ready for lifting but due to some transportation issues there is a delay, MLA Arunkumar Guththur who discussed the issue with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai gave us this update,” said Shekarappa.
Shekarappa Gyanagoudar worked as an assistant engineer in a private company in Nanjangud, Mysuru. After retiring from his job, he took up farming along with his wife, Vijaylakshmi in Chalageri.
Naveen’s brother Harsha Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, is currently a 2nd year Ph.D. (Agriculture) student studying in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
“I casually came back here 3-4 days before the unfortunate incident occurred, it has been extremely difficult for us to deal with this trauma. We are all shattered, however, my father has been putting up a strong face whereas my mother is still inconsolable; it affected her health badly. The entire village and our relatives have been a great support throughout,” Harsha told Awa-the voice.
The family was planning to build an extra block for their house for Naveen to run his clinic from after his return from Ukraine. “This is not going to happen,” said Harsha.
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