Naveen went to Ukraine as he couldn’t secure medical seat despite 97% marks: Father

Naveen, who died in the attack in Kharkiv, was a native of Chalageri village

“Despite scoring 97% in PUC, my son could not secure a medical seat in the State. It became inevitable for us to send him to Ukraine for studies. But we lost him,” a distraught Shekarappa said referring to the tragic death of his son Naveen in Ukraine.

Naveen, a fourth-year MBBS student who died in the Russian attack in Kharkiv, was a native of Chalageri village in Ranebennur taluk of Haveri district.

Mr. Shekharappa, a mechanical engineer, who took up farming after retirement, and his wife Vijayalaxmi were inconsolable as relatives, well-wishers, and political leaders continued to visit them on Tuesday after the news about their son’s death spread.

“Naveen was a bright student from the beginning. However, as the family could not afford the cost of medical education here, he was sent to study medicine in Ukraine,” his cousin Gangadhar Gyanagoudar recalled, from the residence of Naveen.

Mr. Shekharappa spent most part of his career outside Haveri. He worked for an oil company in Abu Dhabi before returning to India and joining South Indian Paper Mill at Nanjanagud in Mysuru district.

It was in Nanjangud that Naveen had his primary, high school, and PU education. Having retired two years ago, Mr. Shekharappa and Ms. Vijayalaxmi settled down in Chalageri, where they had ancestral property. “My uncle bought additional land and took to farming. Naveen’s elder brother Harsha has completed M.Sc Agri,” Mr. Gangadhar said.

According to him, Naveen had called his father on Tuesday morning over phone. However, Mr. Shekharappa had not noticed it. After some time, he received a call informing him about the death, Mr. Gangadhar said. “We were told that the tragic incident happened when they were trying to return,” he said.