Trekking the Skies

Video: My First Flight

For the last three years ash and I have been planning to go paragliding. Call it lack of time or fear of the unknown that kept us from taking the penultimate decision of packing our bags and simply heading out. It was definitely not the fear of the sport though, for there have been one too many an occasion where we have put our heads together and discussed the feeling of flying amongst the birds. During this period, whenever opportunity for a getaway presented itself, we just packed our bags and headed out to Goa. This year, however, when Diwali holidays drew near, Ash was more than determined to go to Kamshet for paragliding. Probably, the steadfastness in Ash’s attitude was more influenced by the fact that he was now engaged to be married and he wanted desperately to take the leap (from the mountain) before taking the final plunge (into marriage). Whatever the cause, the day arrived when we headed out to Kamshet for our P1 course (P1 is the 5 day training program where they teach one the basics of the glider, to control the glider and one gets 10 solo flights from top of a cliff… sounds exciting? Trust me, there’s more excitement to it than I could fairly describe.)

It was a Friday afternoon when we left from Mumbai and by the time we reached Kamshet market it was 6:30pm. We decided to take the last ST bus to Nirvana Flying Club that was scheduled for 8pm. The trip from Kamshet market to Nirvana Flying Club was fabulous with the bus plying on what seemed more like a toe path than a road and we, the highly fortunate ones seated on the last seat, were thrown from one end of the bus to the other during the entire 20-30 minute ride. Our adventure had begun. The bus was filled with locals and we asked the guys on the adjacent seat to inform us when our destination was within reach which they gladly did. When we stepped out of the bus, we were pleasantly surprised when all the people seated on the left side of the bus had their hands out guiding us in the direction to Nirvana. That’s when we termed the village ‘The Vodafone Village’ i.e. the village with people who were always ‘Happy to help’.

The moment we set foot inside the native place, for that’s what the bungalow and its villas are collectively called as and to add substance to it, the entire panorama is rustic and one simply cant help experiencing the immediate connect and oneness with nature what with pebbles strewn across the centre, bamboo shoots, dim lights and the soft house music teasing the ears. Nothing I could write will do justice to it and I will simply not attempt to do it any further. You must simply experience it to believe it. We met Sanjay, the owner and he directed his guys to set us up in our rooms and invited us to the terrace where all the visiting pilots and the budding pilots like us were gathered for a party. We freshened up, took our beers and joined them like a wind. It didn’t take us long to mingle with the other pilots and it was moments before we felt as if we’ve known all of them for years. We partied till 12 in the night and after some good chup-chup, read dinner, we hit the sack as we had to assemble early morning at 0530 hrs to head out for the site where we’d get our first lessons on handling the paraglider. Enthused as we were about our first day, we woke up at 0430 hrs to a cold early morning as we anticipated there’d be a mad rush among our room mates to make it to the shower. Ash and me took our turns at the shower and I was intrigued to my wits’ end when our room mates were still cozy in their beds even at 0500 hrs while we were all prepped and ready to go. ’twas only by 0515 hrs that there was rustling everywhere and everyone drycleaned and propped themselves in the hall by 0530. I had learnt my first lesson in paragliding i.e. when you party late into the night, grab as much sleep as you can; you always get you chance to shower when you come back tired and covered in grime later. The first two days, we were taught all about controlling the glider when you are on the ground (ground handling). What seems simple at first sight was a bit difficult but with continuous attempts all of us managed it right. The third day was more eventful when we were taken to a small hill and instructed to go halfway up and once our glider was laid out and safety checks were carried out, we had to inflate the glider and run down the hill like there was no tomorrow. Of course, we were continuously being instructed on the radios strapped on our persons by Sanjay, who ensured that the blunders committed by us amateurs were kept in check (Sanjay is one no nonsense dude and for him the safety of all the pilots is paramount; hats off to him). This was again a day where we got our first instance of flying as the glider lifted us fairly off the ground for some decent time and it made us all the more eager for our flights from top of the hill. I even twisted my ankle during one of these attempts but that didn’t deter me in my pursuit of flying. Sanjay ensured that I was absolutely fit before he allowed me to take my flight from the top. I got my first flight from the top (approximately 120 ft high hill) on my birthday and that made it an extra special flight to be cherished for a very long time. My eagerness to fly dispelled any feelings of anxiety and I was filled with a fervor to join others who had already experienced flying. When my turn arrived, Ravi gave me instructions to be followed, charted my flight course to the landing and I was ready for the launch. With my glider inflated I began my run downhill. I recollected a wise guy saying ‘Flying is all about aiming for the ground and missing it’. And before I could say ‘Kazaam’, I was lifted off the ground and I was saying hi to the birds. Sanjay’s voice cackled on the radio asking me how I was feeling and I guffawed back in delight, telling him how wonderful and top of the world I felt; I enjoyed the entire flight course till my feet found ground and even beyond. My first flight will remain etched in my memory forever and it will remain my best Birthday gift. Later on, we accompanied the Nirvana gang to Tower hill (approximately 900 ft high hill) where they usually go for long flights (the tandem flights are also conducted here). The Wind Gods were smiling and the sky was abundant with paragliders with wings of different hues that made a spectacular sight. It was eye candy to watch all the pilots soaring and performing some extraordinary stunts in the sky. Some of them were whizzing past the ridge at speeds I didn’t imagine a glider was capable of. Others who were at a distance were spiraling, performing wing-overs and a few were just out there to enjoy and have their time with the birds and the bees (this is meant to be taken at face value and has no relation to the phrase bearing the same). The trip to Tower Hill was captivating and the adrenaline rush that it induced is enough for me to look forward for P2 course where I’ll be taught to soar for hours at a stretch.

And if you are interested in trekking the skies, you can log on to www.flynirvana.com/ and get details. Trust me, you’ll have the time of your life. Thank you Sanjay, Astrid, Ravi, Sandeep, Bond, Vinay and everyone at Fly Nirvana for an exihilarating experience.