Mumbai Viral Video: Student Paraglides To Exam Centre, Saves 30-Minute Road Journey | Watch

In a remarkable display of quick thinking, Samarth Mahangde, a first-year B.Com student from Panchgani in Satara, soared through the skies to reach his exam centre in Pasarni village. The young student, who works at a juice centre, realised too late that his exam had already started and knew he would not make it in time by road.

Mahangde was serving freshly crushed cane juice to tourists at Harrison's Folly when he received a call from his friends, reminding him of the test. To his horror, he realised the exam had already begun, and his centre was 15km away, deep in the foothills of the Western Ghats. With no time to spare, he ran to local paragliding organiser Govind Yewale and pleaded for a quick ride.

Beating Traffic With Paragliding

Taking the ghat road was not an option. "Had I tried the ghat section, I would have surely missed the exam due to the heavy traffic," Mahangde said. The roads in the area, especially with ongoing repairs, tend to get congested even on regular days. With Yewale's help, he managed to reach the exam venue in just five minutes-saving over half an hour of travel time.

A Viral Sensation

His daring decision was captured on camera and soon went viral on social media, attracting widespread attention. Balancing work and studies, Mahangde is a student at a college affiliated with Shivaji University in Kolhapur. "My education is equally important," he said, proving that with determination and a bit of creativity, anything is possible.

However, Satara's Superintendent of Police, Samir Shaikh, later clarified that the viral video was old and that traffic conditions at the time were not unusual. Despite this, Mahangde's story remains an inspiring example of quick thinking and community support.