Running late for an exam, college student takes up extreme backup plan to make it on time

Anyone who’s ever been late for an exam knows the gut-wrenching panic that comes with it. But one student in India took quick thinking to a whole new level—by paragliding over traffic to make it on time. Samarth Mahangade, a 19-year-old freshman from Maharashtra, found himself in a race against time when he received an urgent call from friends while working at his roadside sugarcane juice stall. They frantically informed him that his postponed first-semester exam had already begun, as reported by Deccan Chronicle.

Mahangade, who was stationed near a local adventure site, quickly assessed his options. With roads congested and the exam hall 15 km away, driving would have taken at least 30 minutes—time he simply didn’t have. Instead of panicking, he made a bold move. As reported by The Times of India, he approached a nearby paragliding instructor, Govind Yewale, and asked for help. Moments later, Mahangade was soaring over the city, cutting his travel time dramatically. His unconventional journey not only got him to the exam hall faster but also turned him into a viral sensation, proving that sometimes, thinking outside the box—or in this case, above it—can make all the difference.

When Mahangade ran into the paragliding instructor, his immediate request was for an airlift. “Bhau (big brother), I need your help. I have an exam in 10 minutes. Can you take me down there?” the student pleaded to the adventurer at Harrison's Folly cliffside. “An exam? And you forgot the date?” the instructor responded, sensing the urgency. Putting aside his skepticism, Yewale called over an assistant to help. "Strap in," he instructed, asking Mahangade to “hold on tight.” Amid the panic, Mahangade was fastened into the harness, and in a flash, they both took the leap off the cliff, soaring toward the exam venue.

As Mahangade soared over the road below, his friends rushed to his home to gather his hall ticket, writing pad, and pens. After flying smoothly for five minutes, the student reached the exam venue with the assistant’s help. The paraglider landed successfully on the school grounds, and Mahangade immediately unbuckled himself, sprintinig toward the exam hall. Thanks to his daring paragliding approach, Mahangade arrived at the exam venue just as the question papers were being handed out. The teacher present allowed him to sit for the exam. Meanwhile, the video of his journey went viral on social media, racking up millions of views. "My education is just as important," Mahangade later told the outlet. "I had to make it work."