To mark Earth Day, which was observed on Monday, Gujarat’s first woman civilian licensed skydiver, Shweta Parmar, completed a solo descent from 13,000 feet in Thailand with a message for a plastic-free planet.
She unfurled a ‘End Plastic’ flag as this year’s Earth Day theme was ‘Planet vs Plastics’. The theme advocates for reduction of pollution caused by plastic. Shweta, who belongs to Vadodara, is India’s fourth woman skydiver.
Shweta,who has made 300 jumps so far, collaborated with EarthDay.Org, which mobilises people to take action for our planet through events, education and advocacy.
Championing a cause
Shweta is happy she could use her five years of experience as a skydiver to contribute to a cause she cares about deeply. In 2021, Shweta had become the first female civilian licensed skydiver of Gujarat at the age of 28.
Shweta holds a USPA-C licence and has performed jumps from various platforms, including fixed wings (AN 28, Twin Otter, Kodiak 100, Cessna, among others) and hot air balloon. She also holds the distinction of being the first female skydiver to jump in an Indian bridal costume!
Since last February, she is helping Indian skydiving enthusiasts through ‘Skydive India Campaign’ aimed at making the thrilling sport more accessible. Also, Anand-based NGO, Setu Trust, has appointed Shweta as skydiving training coordinator for the differently abled, orphans, slum-dwellers and the destitute.
