Indian skydiver Sheetal Mahajan sets record by jumping off helicopter near Mt Everest

Sheetal Mahajan has become the first Indian woman to jump off a helicopter near Mount Everest. Also, she is the first Indian to skydive over three poles. She said that she has fulfilled her father's dream to see her scale the highest peak.

Pune: Indian skydiver and Padmashri awardee Sheetal Mahajan (Rane) from Pune, has set a new record by jumping off a helicopter from a height of 23,000 feet near Mount Everest in Nepal. She achieved the feat in collaboration with Reliance Foundation.

Sheetal has become the first woman in the world to skydive over three poles of the Earth as well as the first Indian civilian woman to skydive near Mount Everest.

She said that she has been dreaming of skydiving in front of Mount Everest since 2007 and was excited to see herself achieving her dream. After jumping off an AS 350 B-3 helicopter from a height of 23,000 feet near Mount Everest, the parachute opened at a height of 18,000 feet. Three successive parachute leaps were taken at Syangbaeche (12,402 ft), Amadabalam Base Camp (15,000 ft) and Kalapathar (17,500 ft).

For this purpose, parachutes spanning 260 to 400 square feet were used at this height. Sheetal said that the climate in the snow-covered Himalayas is dynamic and changes constantly. "Every Everest expedition so far has been planned in accordance with the most favorable weather conditions. However, I got to experience the weather changes from time to time," she said.

Skydiving at these extreme altitudes requires expert guidance, she said adding that Paul Henri de Berre, Omal Alhagelan, Wendy Smith and Nadia Selevayeva supported her. Suman Pandey, the founder of Skydiving Explorer Himalaya, collaborated with Reliance Foundation that provided financial support.

Necessary cooperation was extended by Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan, Jain Irrigation's Ashek Jain, Era India Club India President Rajeev Pratap Rudy and MP Prashant Bagh. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Aviation Minister Jayatiraditya Scindia encouraged her.

Sheetal thanked her mother Mamta Mahajan, brother Harshal Mahajan, husband Vaibhav Rane and children Vaibhav and Vrishab Rane for their support. "My late father Kamlakar Mahajan had always encouraged me to scale Mount Everest. It is a pleasure to be able to fulfill his dream," she said.