Nipun Madan's three-week family holiday to Australia has turned into a two-month-long stay after the Indian government suspended inbound flights in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The family has rented an apartment in Melbourne and Mr Madan and his wife are trying to homeschool their children.
But, as they're unable to work or return home, money is drying up.
"It is very difficult, since my business back home is closed down, we are not able to generate more money. We are only able to utilise our savings which are already depleted," Mr Madan told SBS News.
"On holidays for a short time is ok, but when the holidays extend to two months, it is not easy."
But finally, after 40 days of uncertainty, relief is in sight with a "massive" operation underway involving passenger jets and naval ships to bring back some of the hundreds of thousands of Indian citizens stranded overseas.
According to the civil aviation ministry, around 14,800 people will be taken back on 64 flights from 12 countries, with the first leaving the UAE and Qatar on Thursday.
Other flights will leave Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as London, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Washington.
The flights will bring an average of 2,000 people back to various Indian destinations every day for a week, according to the foreign ministry.
So far some 20,000 Indians in the US have signed up for the evacuations, The Times of India reported.
A government statement said repatriation flights would start bringing nationals home from Thursday, and that Indian embassies and high commissions were preparing lists of "distressed Indian citizens".
But to the anger of some of those abroad, the evacuees will have to pay for their passage, the statement said, and spend 14 days in quarantine on arrival.
"COVID tests will be done after 14 days and further action would be taken according to health protocols," it added.
Indian airlines suspended all operations at the end of March. Source: AAP
Some Indians said they would not be able to pay for their homeward journeys and pleaded with the government for help.
"I request govt to take all of us at no charge during this crisis situation as we are all struggling here due to prolonged lockdown," tourist Sadhana Srivastava tweeted from Dubai.
"I'm homeless now after I lost my job in March, please take me to India or else I will be in a big trouble here in Dubai, please help me," Saroj K Swain wrote on Twitter.
The UAE has been the most vocal among Gulf countries in demanding governments take workers back, with almost 23,000 having left as of 20 April.
But New Delhi had until now refused to cooperate, balking at the logistical and safety nightmare of repatriating and quarantining returning citizens.
India had earlier evacuated some 2,500 Indians from China, Japan, Iran and Italy before banning international and domestic travel.
India, the world's second-most populous nation with 1.3 billion people, on Tuesday reported 46,433 cases of the infectious disease and 1,568 deaths.
It was the biggest single-day jump with 3,900 new infections and 195 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Additional reporting: AFP
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