FACE YOUR FEARS

Jumping off planes or diving with sharks and crocs is not about daredevilry; instead, it is a matter of overcoming hidden phobias

There comes a time in your life, when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book. For me, that moment came when I was sitting with my feet dangling outside a plane flying over Cape Town, South Africa in 2010. I was at a height of 9,000 feet and readying to jump out. My hands shook and my only thought was, ‘will I land safely?’ Just that morning, I had switched my phone off to psychologically prepare myself for the jump and avoid taking calls from my mom, who had already asked me to reconsider my decision, several times
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Crocodile cage diving The jump went off well and I didn’t become yet another part of some statistic of adrenaline junkie victims that the world scoffs at. Ever since, I have tried my hand at parasailing, bungee jumping, cage shark/crocodile diving, ostrich riding (laugh at your own peril), white water rafting and more. The most common questions I’ve encountered when I’ve recounted these tales to friends and coworkers are ‘don’t you get scared?’ and ‘was it easy?’

Yes, it was scary and it wasn’t easy. But that’s not the point. Faceless horrors lie waiting in the silent darkness of night. Phobias haunt us day in and out. But it doesn’t take some phenomenal skill to overcome them and attempt adventure sports. Nor is it an act of bravery. There is an element of risk involved, but we live in India — we laugh in the face of danger on a daily basis as we take shortcuts across the railway tracks, drive through knee-deep water in the rains or commute by hanging outside a train compartment.