Indian woman skydives with Tricolour in Finland to celebrate I-Day
Mumbai, Aug 15 : Fulfilling a long-cherished dream, Indian adventurist Shital Rane-Mahajan on Wednesday dived from over 5,000 feet in Finland with a Tricolour to mark India's 72nd Independence Day.
The Tricolour, measuring 10 feet by six feet, was handed over to Shital by Indian Ambassador to Finland, (Ms) Vani Rao after the I-Day celebrations by the Indian community settled in Helsinki.
"From Helsinki, we drove down to the Utti Skydiving Centre, around 100 km away, for the skyjump, which was absolutely smooth and successful," an elated Shital told IANS on phone from Finland.
The 36-year-old, a mother of two, said that the weather was perfect for the adventure and that she jumped off an aircraft from 5,000 feet and landed at the designated spot, with the huge flag fluttering all through the descent.
"It all happened within 100 seconds. I stepped out of the aircraft, opened my parachute and then the flag bag tied to my waist, unfurled the Tricolour and continued with my dive," Shital said.
Awaiting below on terra firma was her anxious husband Vaibhav and her nine-year-old twin sons Vrushabh and Vaishnav, besides a large number of onlookers who cheered her.
Though Shital -- a 2011 Padma Shri awardee -- has performed several demo skydives in India with different flags depending on the sponsors, this was her first-ever with an Indian flag.
Prior to her, renowned Indian adventure sportswomen Rachel Thomas and Archana Sardana have performed similar skydives on various occasions with the Tricolour, making Shital the third civilian to do so.
"Now, my ambition is to skydive with the Tricolour in India, especially since civilian skydiving of certain categories has been banned in the country since 2002," she said.
In February, Shital hit the headlines when she skydived from 13,000 feet over Pattaya, Thailand, sporting a colourful 'Nav-wari Sari' (traditional Maharashtrian nine-yard sari).
Hailing from Pune, Shital has around 18 national and six international skydiving records and has completed more than 705 skyjumps around the world, bagging national and international honours.
She shot to global fame on April 18, 2004, when she made her maiden jump -- without practice -- on the North Pole from a Russian MI-8 helicopter hovering 2,400 feet above the ground in minus 37 degrees temperature, making her the first woman in the world to accomplish the feat.
On December 15, 2006, she made the world's first accelerated freefall parachute jump at the South Pole in Antarctica, from a Twin Otter aircraft, coming down from a height of 11,600 feet.
This made her the first and the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat at both the Poles at the age of 23.
On April 19, 2008, Rane-Mahajan tied the knot with Finland-based software engineer Vaibhav Rane.
The couple got married in a hot air balloon, with a priest performing the nuptial ceremonies and parents in tow, around 750 feet above Pune city.
Vaibhav is also an avid skydiver with 57 jumps to his credit. They became the first Indian civilian couple to skydive together in November 2011.
However, she is still keen on pursuing her dream of skydiving over Mt Everest, despite two unsuccessful attempts in 2010.
At present, Shital is on a real high -- with dives on all seven continents -- in around 10 years, on Antarctica, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America.
Last year, she became the first Indian woman to be nominated by the Aero Club of India for the prestigious FAI Sabiha Gokcen Medal for skydiving in all seven continents.
Settled in Finland since marriage, Shital has set her target this year on a 'family skydive' with her husband and two minor sons
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress keeps singing to Pakistan's tune, compromising nation's security: Modi
Barpeta/Hojai/ Dibrugarh (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that while his government carried out 'Operation Sindoor', the Congress continued to "sing to the tune of" Pakistan.
Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Barpeta, Hojai and Dibrugarh in Assam, Modi also accused the Congress of taking a myopic view on development, while asserting that the BJP focuses on long-term growth.
"The party always took short-term measures so that they could indulge in corruption. But the BJP looks far ahead while taking decisions for all-around development of all sections of society," he said.
The PM alleged that during the 2016 surgical strikes or the 2025 'Operation Sindoor', the Congress has always sung to Pakistan's tune, giving importance to their agenda.
"This Pakistan connection always weighs heavily on the country, and we can never allow that," he said.
Modi also accused the Congress of neglecting the Army by refusing to implement the 'One Rank, One Pension' for the veterans for decades.
"But the BJP government ensured that justice was done to those who protect the nation by giving them this benefit," he said, adding that so far, Rs 1.24 lakh crore has been disbursed to the bank accounts of veterans.
Modi accused the Gandhi family of indulging in dynastic politics and corruption.
"The first family of Congress is the most corrupt in the country, indulging in scams of huge proportions and is currently out on bail. The Congress can do only two things -- tell lies and indulge in corruption," he alleged.
In an apparent swipe at Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's "mohabbat ki dukaan" pitch, Modi said the Congress represents "mithya ki dukaan" (shop of lies) and "apmaan" (insult).
"There is another family in Assam... and both are making false promises ahead of the polls," he said, in an apparent reference to Gandhi's deputy in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, who is also the president of the party's state unit.
The PM also accused the Gandhi family of occupying land in prime locations of Delhi.
"The Congress alleges that the BJP acquires land from people, but they don't talk about the prime lands in Delhi with them in the name of National Herald, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and others," he said.
Modi said the BJP acquired land for the state's development, which has benefited all sections of society.
"They are now talking about land as it (land) has shifted from beneath their feet," he claimed.
Referring to the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) at Moran, the PM said that earlier, the road conditions were such that even vehicles had difficulty in plying, but now fighter jets can land on a highway in Assam.
Modi alleged that the Congress adopted a stepmotherly attitude towards the state and neglected Upper Assam and the Barak Valley.
"The Congress did nothing for the tea garden workers, but the BJP government gave them land rights for their homes," he claimed.
"During my last visit to Dibrugarh, I had interacted with women tea garden workers, but to insult me, they made fun of their dress and culture," he alleged.
The PM alleged Congress only helped infiltrators for vote bank politics, and allowed them to settle on the land belonging to 'sattras', temples, tribal communities, besides the Kaziranga National Park.
"It is the BJP that is freeing these lands from the encroachers and also giving land rights to the indigenous people of Assam," he said.
Asserting that people's aspirations are the BJP's priority, Modi said, "The Congress is in power in Himachal, Karnataka and Telangana; they made tall promises before the polls, but what have they done so far?"
Referring to the West Asia conflict, Modi said the government is working to shield citizens, especially the poor, middle class and farmers, from its impact.
"It has been the BJP's priority since the beginning to focus on minimising their sufferings, and this will continue," he said.
Modi said peace was re-established in Assam after a lot of sacrifices, and this has led to the state's development under the BJP rule.
"To continue development, it is necessary to keep the Congress out," he claimed.
Modi said the 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament would be implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
"A special session of Parliament has been convened on April 16 to discuss the issue with all parties and take this forward. But some people are trying to spread rumours even about this," he said.
"All states in the country will benefit from this. They have waited 40 years for this, and women in Assam should urge all parties to ensure the bill's passage," he said.
Listing the various works done by his government, Modi said the minimum support price for paddy has increased from Rs 1,300 per quintal in 2013 to Rs 2,370 per quintal at present.
"Farmers’ income is increasing, and the BJP government is transferring money directly to their bank accounts, bypassing middlemen," he said, noting that Assam's famed 'Joha' rice is now being exported to European countries.
Polling for the 126 assembly constituencies in Assam will be held on April 9, while counting of votes will take place on May 4.
