Bhaichung takes to the sky at Sikkim Paragliding Festival

ANUSHA GURUNG
GANGTOK, 31 Oct: Bhaichung Bhutia flagged off the first ever paragliding festival in the state this morning here at Bulbuley. The former Indian football captain also took a ride on a Tandem flight on the day.

Bhaichung also felicitated the two Nepalese paragliders Lakpa Sherpa and Sano Babu Sunwar, who are also the winners of the National Geographic 2012 People’s Choice Adventures of the Year [for their epic feat of climbing Mount Everest and then paragliding and kayaking to the Bay of Bengal].
Later, while speaking to media persons, Bhaichung said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the flight and the view of the beautiful Khangchendzonga. Paragliding is a very different experience”.
He added that paragliding is one of the sports which can be promoted in a bigger way in Sikkim. He was accompanied by his wife, the Gangtok Mayor KN Topgay and the Deputy Mayor Shakti Singh.
Tourists who had gathered there also showed keen interest and were taking photographs as the pilots took off. “I had never seen paragliding before, it looks like fun and I also took many pictures” said Manoj Das a tourist from Kolkata.
The pilots took off from Bulbuley in East Sikkim and landed at the Sports Complex at Reshithang. Around 58 prominent Indian and International paragliding pilots from USA, Sweden, South Africa, Austria and Nepal are participating in this festival.
Secretary General [PAI] Manoj Roy informed that the festival will include events such as free flying, spot landing contest, Acro show and sky diving demo.
“Since the professional paragliders will be showing Acro stunts it would not be safe for tourists to fly so we have decided to stop the tandem flights”, said the Additional Secretary of Tourism Department, Rinzing Chewang Bhutia. Arrangements of doctors, paramedical team and ambulance are all set at both the take off and landing spot, he added.
The event is organized by the Paragliding Association of India [PAI] and Tourism and Civil Aviation Department.