Dr Shraddha Chauhan, who celebrated her 80th birthday by diving from 10,000 feet, says it was the moment that mattered, not creating any record. Her story:
At 80, most people expect you to sit back and relax — perhaps enjoy a quiet cup of tea, watch your grandchildren play, or look through old photo albums. But me? I’ve always dreamed a little differently. Deep inside me lived a quiet dream — the dream to fly. Not in a plane, but like a bird, with the sky above and the wind against my face.
For years, it remained just that — a dream. I suffer from vertigo, cervical spondylitis, and a prolapsed disc in my spine. Everyone, including myself at times, believed that these were reasons enough to stay grounded.
But not my son!
My son, Brigadier (Retd.) Saurabh Singh Shekhawat, is a braveheart in every sense. A soldier, a mountaineer, a horseman, and now, a skydiving instructor! He has jumped from helicopters in high-altitude war zones and scaled the highest peaks. And on my 80th birthday, he gave me a gift I will never forget — he made my dream come true.
“Ma, how would you like to celebrate this birthday in the sky?” he asked me with a twinkle in his eye. I was stunned. Was he serious? Could I really do it? I laughed nervously and my immediate response was, “Bete, main toh chal bhi dhang se nahi sakti (I can barely walk)!” Yet, something inside me stirred. Maybe this was the moment. If not now, when?
On the morning of the jump, at the Skyhigh Drop Zone in Narnaul, my heart beat faster than rockstar’s drum. Dressed in a jumpsuit and strapped to my son in a tandem harness, I boarded the aircraft. The sky outside was vast and welcoming, and inside me, a strange calm began to rise. Perhaps it was the faith I had in my son. Perhaps it was the quiet belief that age is just a number.
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When the plane reached 10,000 feet, the door opened. I could feel the rush of wind. My son whispered, “Ma, are you ready?” And before I could overthink it, we leapt.
What a moment it was!
The earth below looked like a patchwork quilt. The wind roared in my ears. My heart raced, but so did my spirit. For those few seconds, I wasn’t 80. I was ageless. Free.
As the parachute opened, the descent slowed, and I took in the view — the sky, the silence, the wonder of it all. When we landed, people clapped. Someone asked, “Aunty, dar nahi laga (Weren’t you scared)?” I smiled and replied: “Jab ho shubh sankalp, atma vishwas, aur Ishwariya saath — toh phir dar kaisa(When you have set an objective, hold self-belief in heart, and there is divine support — what is there to fear)?”
I’m told I am now the oldest Indian woman to do a tandem skydive, and the oldest to do so within India. But records were not my goal. I just wanted to chase my dream — and I did. So here I am — a mother, a dreamer, and now, a skydiver.
At 80, I flew — not just with my body, but with my soul. Because courage has no age. And love? It soars even higher.
As told to Deepti Sharma
