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Falling from the sky
Ishani Ranasinghe talks to the first Sri Lankan woman to skydive
When she jumped off a plane at a height of 4,000 metres, not only did she make her dream come true but she also became the first Sri Lankan woman to go skydiving.
“This is the most daring thing I have ever done,” says Roshi Ramanathan-Scheube, undoubtedly a familiar face to many. Apart from being the CEO of a company which exports silver jewellery to labels like Calvin Klein, Nina Ricci and Joop! she is also a well-known model.

Skydiver Roshi

Chosen as 'Miss Photogenic' at the Asian Model Search, Roshi later went on to represent Sri Lanka for 'Ms Tourism' where she was chosen 'Swimsuit model of the year'. She also took part in the Queen of the World pageant held in Germany. As she is able to speak German fluently she did her MBA there.

What made her take the drastic decision to jump out of a plane? "I was never a daring person until I met my husband, Ronald, in Germany," she says. An adventurous person, he encouraged her to push herself to the limit.

She yearned for five years to take a skydive. "I had a picture of a group of people skydiving taped on my wall. I would look at it everyday thinking, one day that would be me," says Roshi.

Her chance came when she went to Germany this summer. Not only did she go through with it but also pestered Ronald to do the same.

She decided to do skydiving at Colibri in Munich as it was known to be one of the best and safest places. Before she took the jump from 4,000 metres, she had to undergo a half-day training programme "that was basically about balance, coordination etc".
Then she was strapped to her tandem master (the instructor), "but it was up to me to take the first step and jump".

"It's safer to jump with the tandem master. You can enjoy the whole experience more," says Roshi. If you want to jump alone, you have to undergo a two-week training programme.

What was it like to jump off a plane so high above? "I was quite nervous at first but later the feeling was nice." Having a free-fall for a few kilometres without a parachute, Roshi admits, was scary but also very thrilling. "After you jump off the plane, until the parachute opens it is so unbelievable." Once the parachute opens the instructor takes over and steers it safely, "then all you have to do is just enjoy the view".

"I will definitely do it again," says Roshi confidently. She admits that she would never do bungee jumping. "There is too much risk involved because there is a chance that the rope may break." That's just one part of her personality - the adventurous side.

In addition, Roshi is into books and dogs. "I have eight dogs and we are like one big happy family," she says as a pet trots to the room for a pat. "I love looking after them."

Roshi wants to open a dog shelter because she feels that unlike in Europe dogs are not treated well in this country. As to books, “I read a lot but I love Jeffrey Archer's and John Grisham's works most,” she adds.

What's lined up next on the adventure scene? "Maybe diving in the shark-infested seas in the Caribbean," she says with a twinkle in her eyes.

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