Freefalling granny: Oldest Indian woman skydiver dedicates jump to nation

59-year-old Santosh Parhar became
the oldest Indian woman skydiver with her
 tandem freefall jump at the Edmonton S
kydive Centre

On a bright summer day over Edmonton, Canada, 59-year-old Santosh Parhar wore a red and blue jumpsuit and took a plunge out of an aircraft at 13,000 feet. Touching the ground a few minutes later with her instructor, Parhar dedicated her jump to the nation with an ebullient: "I Love you India."

Parhar, a former principal of Lavrock junior school in New Delhi's Vikaspuri and grandmother of two, became the oldest Indian woman skydiver with her tandem freefall jump at the Edmonton Skydive Centre on July 24. She has lived with her family in Edmonton since her retirement 2007. The record for the oldest Indian tandem woman skydiver was formerly held by Rama Bhargav, who was 48 years old when she jumped from 10,000 feet at the Pepperell skydiving centre, Massachusets, USA on August 17, 2000.

Parhar, a former English teacher who was born in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district thought she would give the jump a try after encouragement from her Canada-based daughter Rupinder Parhar, 36, who is training to be a demonstration skydiver and is the founder member of the Women Skydivers of India. Rupinder who also jumped off the same aircraft touched down a few minutes before her to complete her seventh solo jump. This also makes them possibly India's only mother-daughter skydiving combo.

Partially covered by a Perspex visor, Parhar's face was buffeted by high-velocity winds as she was spread-eagled in a freefall. "I now know what birds feel like," Parhar told India Today over the phone from Edomonton. She spent most of her jump time chatting with her tandem instructor.

Parhar briefly worked with the UNHCR where she taught English to Afghan refugees. She later worked with the Colombia foundation in Vikaspuri before moving to Canada in 2007.