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.
CM, DCM mark 69th Kannada Rajyotsava with festive messages
DCM DK Shivakumar uses Instagram Kannada filter, nominates Speaker UT Khader to continue campaign
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar shared heartfelt messages on X in celebration of the 69th Kannada Rajyotsava, highlighting the importance of Karnataka’s heritage, language, and culture.
CM Siddaramaiah emphasised that Kannada Rajyotsava is a day for committing to the preservation and growth of Karnataka’s identity, encompassing its people, language, culture, land, and water. He wished all Kannadigas a happy Kannada Rajyotsava, expressing the hope that love and care for Kannada would become a daily celebration. “Best wishes to all Kannadigas on Kannada Rajyotsava. ‘Sirigannadam Gelge, Sirigannadam Balge,’” he shared.
ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ ಎಂದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಜನ, ಭಾಷೆ, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ, ನೆಲ, ಜಲ ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಕನ್ನಡತನವನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸಿ-ಬೆಳೆಸುವ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಸಮರ್ಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾದ ದಿನ. ಕನ್ನಡದ ಬಗೆಗಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿ - ಕಾಳಜಿ ಇಂದಿಗಷ್ಟೆ ಸೀಮಿತವಾಗದೆ, ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಬದುಕಿನ ನಿತ್ಯೋತ್ಸವವಾಗಲಿ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 1, 2024
ಸಮಸ್ತ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರೆಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವದ… pic.twitter.com/bsy0Fm9y2M
DCM DK Shivakumar celebrated digitally by taking a selfie with the ‘Kannada Filter’ on Instagram, encouraging others to join in. He nominated Speaker U.T. Khader to continue this digital campaign, marking it as a small step to spread Kannada’s glory worldwide. “May the lamp of Kannada shine forever, lighting the way for everyone,” he added.
೬೯ನೇ ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವವನ್ನು ಡಿಜಿಟಲ್‌ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಚರಿಸಲು ನಾನು ಇನ್ಸ್ಟಾಗ್ರಾಂನಲ್ಲಿ ʻಕನ್ನಡ ಫಿಲ್ಟರ್‌ʼ ಬಳಸಿ ಸೆಲ್ಫಿ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಸಭಾಪತಿಗಳಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಯು.ಟಿ ಖಾದರ್‌ ಅವರನ್ನು ಈ ಅಭಿಯಾನವನ್ನು ಮುಂದುವರೆಸಲು ನಾಮಿನೇಟ್‌ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಕನ್ನಡದ ಗರಿಮೆಯನ್ನು ಜಗದಗಲ ಪಸರಿಸುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇದೊಂದು ಪುಟ್ಟ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ.… pic.twitter.com/WsAYDK2d6K
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) November 1, 2024
