As children we dream of taking to the skies like birds, a feeling immortalised by the late Nargis as she sang Panchi banoo, udake chaloo mast gagan mein… in Chori Chori. A group of
daring women from the Indian Women Sky Diving Association – Archana Sardana, Mili Sharma, Bharati Thanwani and Rupinder Parhar – are living this very dream.
    Archana, 35, residing in Vizag and a veteran skydiver who has to her credit more than 200 free-fall jumps, says, “After one has experienced the adrenaline rush derived from skydiving, all other sports seem mundane. Nothing can match up to that feeling of excitement in the gut just as you

jump off from a height of 14,000 feet. The blast of cold air hitting the face, the deafening whir of a helicopter or an airplane from which you jump off into what
appears as an open space with no boundaries, is exhilarating.”
    If someone comes ahead to sponsor her by May 2010, Archana has her sight focussed on achieving another feat; skydive with Mt Everest as the
backdrop – from a height of 29,000 feet. Her landing height would be 12,500 feet above sea level in the Himalayas with gutsy winds threatening to blow her away from her landing position.
     In fact, unlike several Western countries where skydiving is enjoyed as an

adventure sport and competed for at an international level, in India, apart from the Army, Navy and Air Force – even the basic training facilities are not available to civilians.
    “When I took up skydiving way back in 1979, it was completely unheard of,” remarks Delhi-based Rachel Thomas, 54, who has more than 670 jumps to her credit and is the sole woman to be awarded a Padma Shri for skydiving. She had got immense support from late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who being a pilot himself, understood the need to
encourage this sport.