Blue skies of a sky diver

What happens when doors open up for you- opportunities to fulfil your desires? And what if the door is of the running aircraft at 14,000 feet? Like the humour? But, it's real.

If you don't have a sense of humour then you are not meant for Sky Diving. The rush of the wind and take a dive in the gust of infinity. These are the opportunities that Life has designed for you. Yes, I am talking about Skydiving- which I did while serving in the Indian Army.

A Sport which changes your mindset and enabled me to take quick decisions – Yes that's Sky Diving, which you learn only in the open sky and that's where it's called – "Blue Skies".

All drills are taught on the ground which you have to perform in the air- How does it sound? Yes, it makes your reflexes subliminal and enables you to react instantaneously in any situation. That's how I was focused while getting training for Sky Diving by my Instructors. So, you learn to work well under pressure.

The jump begins with early morning fitness exercises and some specific target strengthening exercises. This routine also makes us flexible and agile in every situation not only physically but mentally. An agile mind is the Sky Diver Strength and so enriches them to be self-controlled.

The Exit Hesitation

"Darr Sabko Lagta Hain"- and in Skydiving Language we call it EXIT HESITATION. Standing at the Exit Door with a packed parachute on your back and waiting for your turn to jump from 14, 000 feet.

How does it feel- Numb- Then mind it you are grounded. The thickness in the noise of the helicopter rotor and the aligning the height with the altimeter tied in your hand, you just have to overcome EXIT HESITATION of nanoseconds and take a dive in the sky. What happens next- once you are in the air? Like another Pandemic, helpless- you just cannot afford it. That's where you are trained to react in real VUCA and uncertainty. Deploying parachute at 4,500 feet and if that does not get deployed the AAD (Automatic Activation Device) gets activated, but mind it, you get grounded again. If you lose your senses to deploy your safety at the prescribed height and you land after activating AAD, you are not considered to be a safe Skydiver and an unsafe Leader cannot Lead teams. So, you are groomed as a Leader.

Well, this human flight needs a lot of presence of mind and understanding of winds to land carefully. And the most important trait is inclusivity.

There are many skydivers who dive and everyone needs to respect other divers' space and timing.

While landing we use toggles to apply breaks and manoeuvre and take turns and even roll in the sky for fun.

Sky Diving is a human flight that is meant to be experienced, imagine falling from the sky at 120 mph. So, not meant for weak hearts, but develops your mental resilience.

This writing on Sunday is especially for every reader to regain their lost power and strength and refuel their life with energy to do their dives of Life.

(The author is a Global Speaker and economist. She has served in the Indian Army and was selected for the Indian Army Woman Skydiving Team)