She stood on the edge of the aeroplane, her fingers tightly wrapped around the shoulder straps. Before her eyes was the clear blue sky, the buzz of the propeller engine ringing in her ears. At 13,000 feet above the ground in Dubai, 70-year-old Leela Jose from Konnathady, Idukki, was strapped to her instructor. In a few seconds, they were out and flying.
"When I looked up or down, all I could see was the sky, nothing else," she recalls the seconds before she plummeted down 13,000 feet. Although this led to a brief moment of fear, she was overcome with curiosity. "Ok?" her guide asked. "Ok," she responded.
After about 6,000 feet of free fall, the parachute opened, visibility improved, whatever fear she had harboured began to disappear, and Leela could finally indulge in the infinite scenery of Palm Jumeirah spread around her. "Until the parachute was opened, there would be a bit of fear in you. Afterwards, you feel more relaxed," she says.
Her son Balu P Jose waited at the landing point, his heart pounding with anxiety and pride. He felt good; he has fulfilled a dream of her mother. A few years ago, when his parents, Leela and Jose, visited him in Dubai, they said they wanted to go parasailing. Something came up, and the plan had to be put off. Jose died of a heart attack later. The loss of her companion took a major toll on Leela. Struck by grief, she showed little interest in parasailing on her next visit to Dubai. "It took her a few years to heal from that loss," Balu says.
In the following visits, Balu was determined to fulfil his mother's wishes "My father's loss taught me not to put these things off. We never know what will happen in the future," says Balu.
Balu made a few phone calls and Leela was given a spot for the adventure at Skydive Dubai. That morning, Leela arrived at Palm Jumeirah in a churidar. As they walked in and began with the procedures, the staff were under the impression that Balu was the one up for the feat, and Leela was written off as a bystander. It wasn't until document verification that they realised that it was this 70-year-old woman who wanted to skydive.
The laughter and amusement had barely settled before the next challenge was thrown at them. Leela, who isn't accustomed to sports attire, was told that her churidar was not suitable for the activity. Thankfully, Balu had carried an extra t-shirt. Leela, more than happy to step out of her comfort zone to create new experiences, changed into the t-shirt and was set for the adventure.
After a few check-ups and verifications, the operators began coaching her on the correct body placements and signals that would help her navigate her way down. Even then, the language barrier was not big enough to stop Leela, who speaks only Malayalam. With the help of Balu, who translated most of the instructions and tutored her on ways to communicate in English and use hand signals, Leela was all set. "Ok!" she would respond to her coach who repeatedly enquired if she was comfortable.
Soon, she found herself in a small plane, with the coach and about four other strangers, much younger than her, who were in for the same experience as she was. "We didn't speak the same language, so we couldn't talk. But we shared glances and passed off embarrassed smiles in between," Leela says.
A homemaker, Leela has been an active participant in sports competitions and events organised locally. "As a child, I participated in almost everything, winning never mattered to me," she says. According to Balu, his parents were often constrained by their circumstances.
"Growing up, we didn't have access to many luxuries. I don't even recall going for a movie together as a family," says Balu, remembering the days of his youth. Hailing from a hilly region, travel and movement were limited.
When asked about her future plans, Leela said she would jump from an even greater height the next time and expressed her interest in breaking existing records for the same. "I want to try to get into the Guinness book," she says. In her adventure list, she has already crossed off parasailing, and in a previous trip to Wayanad, she had also tested out ziplining. She wants to go scuba diving next.
"She has done so much for us; these are the little joys we can arrange for her," says Balu. Leela remains positive. "If you want to try things like this, you should just do it. Don't let anyone or anything discourage you," she says.