Flying High

“I used to watch adventure sports on television and always wanted to do them. I saw no reason why I shouldn’t take up skydiving,which I was really interested in. I had done a bit of paragliding earlier. I did some research on skydiving and found there were many places in Europe where I could try skydiving without having any prior experience,and age was not a factor. I contacted an organisation in Spain. It assured me that even people who were 65 years old had tried skydiving. My first experience was at a small village which is around an hour’s drive from Madrid,” says Lohia.

Describing the experience,she says,“Once you jump and you’re all on your own; it just feels like you are in heaven. Also,it’s quite exciting to navigate yourself successfully to the drop site on your own. I have already got six jumps under my belt. A logbook of jumps is maintained,and once I get 20 jumps to my credit,I will be a licensed skydiver. This would allow me to skydive anywhere in the world unescorted. I’m planning a dive at Mount Everest shortly.”

Her friends,Lohia says,had initially discouraged her from taking up the sport saying that she would run the risk of getting injured at her age. However,once she had taken the plunge and returned home from Spain to share her thrilling experience,their opinions changed.

“My husband and mother-in-law were really supportive. When I came back from Spain I was received at the airport by them with a garland. Now people,who had discouraged me in the beginning,say I have inspired them.”