Quick Facts
Biography
Archana Sardana (born 1974/1975) is India's first female BASE jumper. She is a certified skydiver and was the first Indian to skydive with Indian Flag in United States of America. She is also the first woman Master Scuba Diver Trainer in India and has done multiple deep sea scuba dives in every corner of the globe
Sardana has done 335 skydives and 45 BASE jumps across the globe and unfurled the tri-colour at a depth of 30 meters in the ocean, off the Andamans’s Neil Island, setting a record in the process. She is also the first Indian to BASE Jump the KL Tower, Malaysia with the Indian Flag.
Sardana took fascination to adventure sports and reached her career high after she married the now-retired naval commander Rajeev Sardana. Her first outdoor was just 20 days after her wedding, when on a whim, she and her husband braved a local marathon known for its steep peaks and competitive nature.
Sardana’s next ambition is to jump off Mount Everest.
Personal life
Sardana, was born in Jammu and did her schooling in Srinagar. She belonged to a business family and was pretty much brought up in luxury and in a highly protected environment, which meant she had never even walked half a kilometre in her formative years.
Even though she hails from Kashmiri Valley of Srinagar, Sardana did not grow as an adventure enthusiast. Her calling for outdoor and adventure sport came much later in life; when she got married to Raveej Sardana (an electrical officer of the Indian Navy, Commander Rajiv Sardana). She has two sons, who are self-sufficient and extremely supportive of her work
Education and career
Sardana graduated with a diploma in interior design which is completely opposite to her professional line in adventure sports.
After discovering her love for adventure sports, Sardana completed Adventure and Advanced Mountaineering courses from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.
Sardana has a ‘C’ licence in skydiving from the United States Paratroopers Association having completed 335 skydives.
She is the only Indian woman to be certified by Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), USA as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer. She runs her own venture ‘Archana Sardana Scuba Diving Academy,’ training young women on how to conquer their fears and feel the rush of adventure sport.
Over time, Sardana has sought ways to use her adventurous spirit to help others. An expert at jumping out of helicopters, she did her first jump in service of an organization called ‘Blind Free India.