The Hindu : New Delhi News : Jumping to glory

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Tuesday, Jun 07, 2011
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New Delhi

Jumping to glory

Vijetha S. N.

NEW DELHI: Jumping off a moving aeroplane for pleasure seemed to define Archana Sardana until she started jumping off buildings and bridges just for fun.

Her latest achievement, being the first woman diver to B.A.S.E. jump, has qualified her for entry into the Limca Book of Records-2011. B.A.S.E. stands for buildings, antennae, span (bridges) and earth (cliff) and simply means jumping from a fixed place or object as opposed to a moving aircraft.

This 38-year-old mother of two children first took to mountaineering by taking advanced courses at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarakhand.

Her most recent adventures include jumping 25 times from a 400 ft. bridge in Utah, US, and being the only Indian to participate at the Malaysia International B.A.S.E. Jump-2010 where she jumped 12 times from the Menara Alor Setar and the Menara Kuala Lumpur towers (1,000 ft) with one jump holding the Indian flag.

After conquering the mountains and the skies, only the sea remained to be conquered. That was accomplished by qualifying as an advanced scuba diver under PADI (Profession Association of Diving Instructors) . She again made news by becoming the first woman to unfurl the Indian flag 18 metres underwater.

Apart from extreme adventure sports, Archana has used her public persona to promote the causes of women with the motto “Stronger women, stronger India” by creating public awareness about the evils of female foeticide. Her future plans include taking this campaign into the hinterlands of rural India, specifically Haryana, Punjab and other States rampant with this menace.

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