‘I was not sure of getting back home’: Kolkata professor airlifted from Iran after 10-day wait; returns with just $20 in pocket | Kolkata News

KOLKATA: Falguni Dey, the geography professor from Kolkata who got stranded in war-ravaged Iran, returned to the city on Tuesday morning after a gruelling 10-day wait. Dey, along with other Indian passengers, was evacuated by the Indian embassy on a Mahan Air flight from Mashhad late on Monday night.“Over the past 10 days, I was caught between hope and despair. Even after the flight took off from Mashhad, I was not sure of getting back home. In the past 10 days, my hopes were shattered a number of times. When the flight landed in New Delhi and I came out of the immigration checks, it started to sink in slowly,” Dey said.After Israel launched a missile strike on June 14 — a day before his scheduled departure — Dey was on the run to evade the destruction caused by Israeli missiles and drones. With $200 in his pocket, he travelled from the north to the west of Iran. His attempts to cross Iran first through Azerbaijan and then through Armenia were unsuccessful. He reached Mashhad on Sunday and got himself registered with the Indian embassy for evacuation. When he returned home on Tuesday morning, he had $20 left with him.On Monday afternoon, Dey received a phone call from the Indian embassy in Tehran. “They asked me to reach Sadr Hotel in Mashhad immediately where the list for the evacuees was being prepared. They asked me to pack my bags and be prepared for checkout from the hotel in the evening. Five buses parked outside the hotel took us to the airport in the evening,” he recounted.The flight took off from Mashhad at 1:30 am and reached New Delhi around 4 am. Two officials from the Bengal govt were present at the airport. “My flight to Kolkata was scheduled at 5 am and the Bengal govt officials helped to complete the formalities in time,” he said. Dey called his wife to inform her about his return after he reached New Delhi. When he reached Kolkata airport, his wife was waiting outside.“My phone rang at 4 am and it was a call from his India number. I could not believe my eyes. He asked me to reach the airport fast,” said Kanyakumari Dey, his wife. Since Dey was stuck in Iran, it was a prolonged fight for her, too. From their Jadavpur home, she coordinated with officials at the Tehran office, filed visa applications for him, followed up with the embassy offices, counselled him when he was depressed, and continued to keep the hope in him alive.“I lost hope twice when Azerbaijan and Armenia declined his visa and I felt that we would not be able to bring him back. He was stuck in a situation where everything was at odds. He survived as he has a steely nerve,” she said.