Paragliding at Bir Billing

I could hear my heart pounding with excitement, which made it difficult for me to hear what the pilot was saying. I was strapped to the paraglider, waiting to takeoff, while standing on the ridge in Billing. The pilot told me in a loud voice, to start running. My legs froze momentarily though this was the moment I had been waiting for, for a very long time.

Though I had no experience in paragliding, this was no problem. I would be strapped to the paraglider with the pilot next to me, who would be controlling the paraglider.

I was in Bir Billing in Himachal Pradesh, considered one of the best places in the world for paragliding. Billing at 8,500 ft above sea level is the launch  site for the paragliders, and Bir, 14 kms downhill, is the landing spot.

After taking few steps I was airborne along with the pilot. This would go down as one of the best moments in my life. Here I was flying in the sky, the closest I would ever come to flying like a bird. I couldn’t believe my eyes; I was soaring high above the mighty Dhauladhar range and down below lay the lush verdant Kangra valley. The sight was a feast for my eyes which served as a camera to capture the magnificent view.

The sky was dotted with the paragliders. The onlookers below must have enjoyed the sight of the colorful spectacle unfolding high above them.

As I was striving to touch the sky, I felt blessed to experience this wonderful moment. The moment of landing came all too soon. My feet touched the ground in Bir, my smile refused to go away, my eyes had a faraway look and my mind was still soaring in the sky high above the snowy peaks of the Dhauladhar.

Aparna Chauhan