Olesia Mazur had lived a “super” life for three years in Kashmir, but the last two weeks have been harrowing for her.
The mother of two is deeply worried and frightened about her parents and 92-year-old grandmother who are stuck in their home in Ukraine as Russian troops advance on its capital Kyiv. Her parents’ home is 300 km away from the city.
“I am angry with Russia and worried about my parents. My mother is 62 and my father is 65. My granny lives with them. They are stuck at home. They cannot relocate as they are old,” she said when asked if they are in a position to move out to neighbouring countries. “What will they do if fighting intensifies? Missiles have ripped up hospitals and a few buildings near our home. It is getting terrible out there,” she said. “The moment I hear about some bad news in Ukraine I call them at once. They are tense and I am even tenser because I am not in a position to do anything from here.”
Olesia is hoping that all the major powers including the United States, European nations and India mount enough pressure on Russia to stop the war and recall soldiers. “It is very distressing to see and read about what is happening in our country,” she said, even as her Kashmiri in-laws try to console her.
“I call them daily four to five times on WhatsApp. They seem to be under huge stress. They are different people these days; anxious, fearful and hoping against hope the war ends soon,” Olesia said, betraying tension. Sporting a red pheran and a matching muffler she kept moving in the compound of her father-in-law’s house and apparently recollecting a silent prayer.
The 35-year-old got married to Bilal Ahmad Bhat in Goa eight years back when she and her mother had come as tourists to spend their vacation. Ahmad, a businessman, was dealing with Kashmir hand arts when she met and befriended him. A few years of courtship — in Goa and online — even when she would go back to Ukrainelater translated into a marriage. “It was easy. I told her mother that I need your permission to marry her and she quipped: ‘why don’t you ask her out?’ I did, she agreed and next week we were married,” said Bilal, adding that his maternal uncle solemnised the marriage.
Bilal said he and Olesia mostly stayed in Goa and would occasionally come to Kashmir for a month. But since Covid restrictions and a slump in trade, they haven’t returned to Goa. “We have been here for the last three years. Hopefully, if things get better, I might go back and restart the business,” he said.
For Olesia, however, business is not the priority; it is the safety of her family and people in Ukraine. “I pray war comes to an end,” she said, adding that she would not appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin because he is hellbent on attacking Ukraine. “She has never been so disturbed in the last eight years. She is having nightmares. She wakes up abruptly at night and starts shouting and crying,” said Bilal.
“I have been extra supportive of her these days. She is through a horrible time and I pray she sails through. A few days back she was very tense. I told her ‘let us travel to Poland and then try our luck to get into Ukraine’ and rescue her parents. She hasn’t decided anything. My offer remains,” he said.
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