For four young men from Rajasthan, the monsoon rains posed a threat far greater than swollen rivers or crumbling mountain roads: the possibility of losing an entire academic year.
Stranded in Haldwani after landslides severed key routes into the Kumaon hills, Omaram Jat, Magaram Jat, Prakash Godara Jat and Narpat Kumar (also known as Lucky Chaudhari) faced the prospect of missing their final semester Bachelor of Education examination in Munsiyari. Taxis refused to risk the treacherous roads; buses were canceled. With no safe passage left, the students made an unusual decision — they hired a helicopter.
A Flight of Necessity
The group reached out to Heritage Aviation, a regional operator. The company’s chief executive recalled their urgency: if they failed to appear, the students would forfeit a year of studies. Within hours, two pilots and a helicopter were dispatched. The flight, covering nearly 280 kilometers of broken mountain terrain, lasted less than half an hour.
What would have been a ten-hour ordeal by road — if the road had even been passable — was reduced to 25 minutes in the air. Each student paid roughly ₹10,400 for the round trip, a considerable sum in rural India, but one they described as “the only way forward.”
Exam at All Costs
At RS Tolia Postgraduate College in Munsiyari, the students finally took their places in the examination hall. Relief mixed with exhaustion. “It was exciting and fulfilling that we could complete our final semester exam,” one said afterwards, reflecting on a journey that had tested both resolve and resourcefulness.
A Wider Struggle in the Hills
While the episode captured headlines for its unusual solution, it also highlighted a recurring dilemma for students in India’s fragile Himalayan states. Every monsoon season, lives and livelihoods are disrupted by road closures and landslides. For young people chasing degrees, the stakes are particularly high: one missed exam can mean a year’s delay in graduation and job prospects.
Symbol of Determination
By taking to the skies, these four men turned a natural disaster into a story of perseverance. Their flight underscored not just the infrastructural challenges of mountain education, but also the lengths to which students will go to secure their futures — even if it means hiring a helicopter when the road ahead collapses.