Enthusiasts all set to celebrate legalisation of drones across India

Digital entrepreneur and blogger Kiruba Shankar will be hosting a retreat for drone pilots and aerial photography enthusiasts from across India.

The venue will be Vaksana Farms, an organic farm with lots of space to fly the drone and learn and share advanced techniques.

“This two-day residential retreat will be a fantastic opportunity to network and learn from some of the best drone pilots. Usually, people associate the activity with only filmmakers – but the number of applications is immense. 

For instance, during the Kerala floods, they could have been used to spot rescue areas and gauge the damages done. They are used in precision agriculture methods to spot pest-infected zones and discharge fertiliser, as well as in oil and natural gas research,” Kiruba explained.

He added that we have just scratched the surface of its uses, “But there have been a lot of questions over the security and how it could be misused. That’s why it has taken the government this long to legalise it. However, the regulations will ensure that the protocol is maintained. I usually rent the DJI Mavic Pro for my uses. However, they aren’t that easy to fly and have a learning curve. But due to the expensive nature, people are usually careful.”

The most expensive ones can cost more than Rs 1 lakh.

Samvitha RK, a filmmaker and photographer in the city, said, “I’m very excited that drones are set to become legal in India. I’m a recreational photographer and drone photographs are something I have always been very fascinated by. Now I will be able to fly my DJI Tello legally. There are already a few concepts I want to execute, and I have begun planning for them. 

This is very exciting news that has been welcomed by my friends and acquaintances in the photographer community as well. This will lend to us getting to explore more terrains and other areas beyond our reach that we can now capture with a drone.”