What skydiving taught Jithin Vijayan, winner of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award

Jithin Vijayan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“The first 20 to 30 seconds, you are certain you are going to die. Then the parachute opens, and you are so happy that you are alive!” says Jjithin Vijayan about the first time he tried Tandem Skydiving (skydiving where the student is attached to the instructor with the harness). Jithin has travelled a long way from there, achieving memorable feats in skydiving. He is just back from New Delhi, after receiving the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award from President of India Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The CEO of NDimensionZ Solutions Pvt Limited, a Kochi-based IT services company, which he started with his friends, Jithin, won the country’s highest adventure sports honour (in the air category) for his uncommon achievements in skydiving, a sport he took to fairly recently. 

Jithin Vijayan receiving the award from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Among his various accomplishments, the most daring one was jumping from a height of 42,431 feet with the Indian flag at Whiteville, Tennessee in the US. He became the first Asian to do so and holds the record for the longest free fall of 2.47 minutes, beating the previous world record of 2.3 minutes. It had been Jithin’s dream to carry the Indian flag on one of his skydiving expeditions. He won the Guinness World Record for this jump in 2023.  

Jithin Vijayan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

It was in 2019, while on a vacation in New Zealand, that he tried skydiving for the first time. He remembers the experience as a heady cocktail of fear, anxiety, excitement and a rush of adrenalin. All he knew was that he wanted to do it again. In 2022, while on a work trip to Germany, Jithin extended his stay and travelled to Spain to get a skydiving licence. He spent two weeks training in Spain and acquired his licence from the United States Parachute Association (USPA). 

He would travel regularly to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the UK and other countries where he could practice. Jithin also holds the record for the most consecutive days of skydiving in different zones (18 days). 

He is a licensed professional in paragliding too. 

As a student, Jithin was fond of athletics, but he chose to focus on academics in high school. Later, after his B.Tech, he would casually get together with his friends to play some sport. “I had always wanted to make a name for myself in sports, but I never thought it would be in skydiving,” he says.  

Every jump carries an element of risk, says Jithin. The rig worn by the diver would have a reserve parachute. In the event of the main parachute not launching, the automatic activation device deploys the reserve parachute. A diver would freefall at a speed of 200 to 240 kilometres per hour, but once the parachute opens, it is reduced to about 50 kilometres per hour, says Jithin. “I have heard even expert skydivers talk of a sense of anxiety just before the jump. But it is the feeling of being in command soon after one jumps out from the plane is empowering,” says Jithin.

He hopes to start a centre for air sports. “I would love to pass on my experience in skydiving to more people and create awareness about the variety and opportunities in air sports. I want to introduce air sports, especially to children in India. From aeromodelling to hand gliding, drone piloting, paragliding and hot air balloons, air-sports have a lot to offer. Children should be made aware of these sports and their possibilities from the school level,” he adds. 

Skydiving has given him life lessons, too, says Jithin. “I have learnt to take life a little lighter now!”