A 27-year-old adventure sports enthusiast from West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district has appealed to the state government’s Sports and Youth Affairs Department for financial assistance to continue her pursuit of professional skydiving.
Mahima Chhetri, who hails from the North Bengal’s Dooars region have already secured her A Licence after successfully completing the mandatory 25 jumps.
Currently, she has left for Haryana to qualify for her B Licence, the next crucial milestone in her ambition to establish herself as one of the country’s leading skydivers.
After undergoing professional training in both India and Thailand, Mahima said she has reached this stage entirely through her family’s financial support.
“I am determined to achieve my dream, but the cost of training, travel and jumps is now beyond my family’s capacity,” Mahima said in an appeal shared on social media. “Support from the West Bengal government’s Sports and Youth Affairs Department would help me continue my journey and represent my state at the highest level.”
Skydiving certification follows a structured progression through A, B, C and D licences. Mahima earned her A Licence after completing 25 jumps from nearly 13,000 feet across four recognised drop zones under certified organisations, including Thai Sky Adventures and Skyhigh India.
Her immediate target is to complete the required jumps in Haryana to obtain the B Licence. Thereafter, she plans to qualify for the C and D licences, with the highest certification requiring nearly 500 successful jumps under prescribed international standards.
Mahima’s dream extends well beyond obtaining licences. She aspires to skydive from Mount Everest and undertake jumps over both the North Pole and the South Pole, achievements accomplished by only a handful of adventure sports professionals worldwide.
According to Mahima, only one Indian woman, based in Mumbai, has so far established herself at both the national and international levels in the discipline. She now hopes to become the first woman from West Bengal to reach a similar level and represent the state in international skydiving.
Her journey first came into the public spotlight after social activist Gobind Lama, also from Damdim, highlighted her achievements through social media.
“Mahima’s achievement deserves recognition. Despite enormous financial challenges, she has reached a stage where she can bring laurels to West Bengal and the country. I sincerely appeal to the state government, public representatives and all well-wishers to extend support so that financial constraints do not stop such an extraordinary talent,” Lama told The Statesman.
Lama has also appealed to Darjeeling MP Raju Bista to support the young athlete, while Mahima herself has sought assistance from Jalpaiguri MP Dr Jayanta Roy and the state government for financial backing.
Mahima’s mother, Ruma Chhetri, told The Statesman over the phone that her daughter had left for Haryana a few days ago to continue her skydiving.
“Today she is in the sky for her jump, so she is not available to speak,” Ruma Chhetri said.
She said Mahima has sacrificed enormously to pursue her passion and has even taken a loan of nearly ₹17 lakh from Reliance to finance her training and participation in the sport.
“My daughter was the NCC topper in West Bengal. She started paragliding in 2017 and gradually entered the field of skydiving. She has been working tirelessly for the last seven years to establish herself in this sport,” Ruma said.
Mahima is currently employed as a security trainer with Reliance and is posted in Mumbai. She completed her schooling at Army Public School, Binnaguri, before graduating in law (LLB) from a private college in Siliguri.
Ruma added that Mahima’s father is an ex-serviceman who is now employed at Hasimara Railway Station.
“My daughter has invested everything she could for her dream. But it has become extremely difficult for us to bear the growing expenses. She appealed to the state government, Members of Parliament and other public representatives for financial assistance. Unfortunately, no one has come forward so far,” Ruma said.
Despite the financial hurdles, Mahima remains optimistic that timely institutional support will enable her to continue her training and fulfil her ambition of taking West Bengal’s name to the international skydiving arena.