Four students from Balotra in Rajasthan reached Haldwani in Uttarakhand, but found themselves stuck as continuous rain and landslides had disrupted road movement. They had an exam to write. The students came up with an innovative idea to reach their exam centre.
The students travelled from Haldwani to Munsiyari in Uttarakhand by helicopter to take their exam, and after completing it, returned to Haldwani the same way.
The students - Omaram Choudhary from Newari village, Magaram Choudhary from Sindhari, Prakash Choudhary from Bankiyawas, and Lucky Choudhary from Gida - are pursuing a B.Ed. degree through correspondence from Uttarakhand Open University.
On September 3, they were scheduled to appear for their final semester exam at RS Tolia PG College in Munsiyari.
They managed to reach Haldwani by road, but due to heavy rains and landslides, roads further ahead were damaged and blocked.
Taxi drivers refused to take them to the exam center because the Haldwani-Pithoragarh and Tanakpur-Pithoragarh roads were closed.
The students learned about a helicopter service.
They contacted the CEO of Heritage Aviation and requested help, explaining that missing the exam would waste an entire year of their efforts.
The company made special arrangements and sent a helicopter with two pilots. The students safely reached RS Tolia PG College in Munsiyari by helicopter, took their exam, and returned to Haldwani the same way.
Each student paid around Rs 5,200 for a one-way trip, totaling Rs 10,400 for the round trip. The road distance between Haldwani and Munsiyari is approximately 280 kilometers, which usually takes about 10 hours by road - a journey that was completed in just 25-30 minutes by helicopter.
All four students are currently employed as third-grade teachers at different schools and are simultaneously preparing for their B.Ed. degree.
Student Omaram mentioned that they were initially very disheartened by the conditions and feared losing a year, but thanks to the helicopter service, they were able to appear for their exam.
Student Magaram added that the helicopter journey to the exam center was not only exciting but also fulfilling, as they could finally complete their final semester exam.
"We got to know that roads are blocked and we cannot reach our exam centre by road. We took the services of a helicopter and reached our exam centre," said Magaram.
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