Watch: Three Indian expats in UAE fly Indian flag at 13,000ft in Guinness World Records skydive

Dubai: Three Indian expats based in the UAE have made their homeland proud, jumping out of an aircraft at 13,000 feet with the Indian tricolour to help set a new Guinness World Record for the most skydivers jumping together with national flags from a single aircraft.

Jamsheer Thanalot from Kannur, Kerala; Abhishek Rawat from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh; and Isha Raj from Patna, Bihar, were the only three Indians among 65 skydivers from different countries who took part in the record attempt in Libya on August 7.

Each skydiver carried their own national flag during the jump from a Military Ilyushin Il-76TD aircraft.

The Guinness World Records title was officially confirmed only on Friday, August 14, and the timing could not have been more fitting, coming on the eve of India's 80th Independence Day, Jamsheer told Gulf News.

All three skydivers are part of the skydiving community in the UAE. Their team travelled to Libya on August 5, where they carried out three trial jumps before being cleared for the final attempt, he said.

What made the feat especially demanding was that there was no room for error.

"The task was tough and we had just one shot. Even after a combined total of over 1,500 jumps between us, it was stressful for each one of us," said Abhishek.

Jamsheer explained that having 65 skydivers exit a single aircraft together is extremely rare in the sport. "In most cases, there are only up to 21 skydivers," he said.

Unlike a typical dive, where jumpers get a brief gap between each other, this attempt required everyone to exit almost simultaneously.

"Usually, when we skydive, we get some time between jumps, one after another. There was no time gap in this case. Everyone had to jump out immediately, one after another," Jamsheer said, adding that this raised the risk of parachutes tangling mid-air while opening.

Landing posed an equally serious challenge, with every skydiver required to touch down within a single designated zone. "Even one person landing outside the demarcated area would have disqualified the record attempt. A small mistake could have cost one or more lives,” he said.

Despite the pressure, the team pulled it off. "By God's grace, we managed to land correctly and create history by setting this record. I feel this was the biggest risk I have ever taken in my life," Jamsheer said.

Among the Indian trio, Abhishek Rawat and Isha Raj bring a personal dimension to the achievement, being not just skydiving partners but also husband and wife.

Abhishek, a product design lead with a digital healthcare solutions company in Abu Dhabi, has over 1,200 jumps to his name and also works as a skydiving coach.  

"So glad and proud to have made the record flawlessly flying our majestic tricolour,” Abishek said.

Isha, an account director with a UK-based financial communications firm in Abu Dhabi, has more than 210 jumps under her belt.

“We have been in the UAE for 11 years. We started our married life here. We are also the first Indian civilian couple to jump together in India,” explained Isha.

“This was the best adventure and an epic jump of a lifetime. We are so glad that we also got an opportunity to jump with the UAE flag during our trial jumps," she said.

Jamsheer, who runs an e-commerce business in Dubai, has completed over 320 jumps.

He credited veteran Emirati skydiver Saif Matar for the confidence in him that helped him through the attempt. "His support and confidence in me boosted my morale. Everyone prayed that it would happen without any accident."

Jamsheer, who has lived in Dubai for 14 years, having moved there at the age of 19, said the record carried an added layer of pride.

"There were only three of us from India and living in the UAE, we are proud to have represented the expatriates too as we mark the 80th Indian Independence Day. We are truly grateful to have been part of this historic moment and we thank the organisers who supported us," Jamsheer said, summing up the sentiment shared by all three.

Beyond record attempts, Jamsheer is also an active competitive skydiver. He won a gold medal at an international competition in Kuwait last year and placed third at a competition in Dubai.

Most of the skydivers involved in the Libya attempt, including Abhishek, had over 1,000 jumps of experience, reflecting the calibre of athletes brought together for the record.