Sri Lankan students in India worry about family, future, finances

Sri Lankan students in India are worried about their families, future and finances while their kin back home struggle with the worst economic crisis that has hit the island nation.

Amritha Vidyapathy, who hails from Colombo and is a student in Lucknow, says she has been urging her family to move to India, considering the situation that has been unfurling in their country over the past few months.

“I have been urging them to come to India. But they have their whole life back in Sri Lanka, a country which is now in shambles. The businesses which were already affected due to the pandemic, are worse off now. I do not know what the future holds for me and my family,” she said.

Also Read: Sri Lanka: Public anger palpable as Gotabaya actually goes

Another student, Ama Nethmi, wonders when her family will be able to send her money to sustain herself in India. “As I am still a student, I am totally dependent on the money my family sends me. Considering the current situation, I have no idea when they will be able to send me money or how they are themselves going to survive. I am not sure if going back to them is even an option at the moment,” she said.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades, with a severe foreign exchange shortage hampering the import of essentials including food, fuel and medicines.

The economic crisis also sparked a political crisis in the country after a popular uprising against the government forced former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign. In his resignation letter, Rajapaksa, 73, blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown for Sri Lanka’s economic woes.

Lack of basic amenities

A final-year student of the M.Des course in furniture and interior design at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, said people are not even getting basic amenities in Sri Lanka.

“I am speaking to them continuously and getting updates of the unfolding situation, none of which is positive. I had plans to go back to my country and work in the area I specialised in but I do not think it is feasible now. Even if I work here, it will be take me some time to be able to send any money back home to help my family in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Also Read: Sri Lanka: All eyes on Sajith Premadasa, who could be the next President

According to government data, there are over 14,000 Sri Lankan students enrolled in various Indian universities.

Another Sri Lankan student at a university in Bengaluru who did not wish to be identified said, “Watching news about the developments in my country is worrisome. There is shortage of essential goods such as fuel, cooking gas, and power cuts for 13 hours a day. It’s a chaos which is unimaginable.”

The island nation off southeast India needs about $5 billion in the next six months to cover basic necessities for its 22 million people, who have been struggling with long queues, worsening shortages and power cuts.

Sri Lankan lawmakers met Saturday (July 16) to begin the process of choosing a new leader to replace Rajapaksa, who is now in Singapore.

Also Read: US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Chung urges political fraternity to ensure peaceful transfer of power

India has been the principal source of foreign assistance to Sri Lanka this year.
On Friday (July 15), the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka reiterated that India will continue to stand with the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values as well as established institutions and a constitutional framework.

The United Nations has urged all stakeholders in the island nation to ensure a peaceful transition of power in full respect for the Constitution and to ensure that the root causes of the current instability and people’s grievances are addressed.

(With inputs from agencies)