Sunitha Dabadi felt an indescribable joy as she glided down the shores after experiencing the daring sport of paragliding for the first time in her life on Monday. Being visually impaired and working as a telephone operator at Tribhuvan International Airport, she is also a member of the “Blind Rocks” organization. She had come to Pokhara on Sunday to try paragliding.
As she arrived in Pokhara, Sunitha was uncertain about whether the weather would permit her to paraglide. When she finally reached Mandredhunga for take-off, she couldn’t contain her excitement. She said I had planned to do paragliding for the first time. Sometimes you feel like you might never get the chance to fly. When I was about to take off it felt so easy, and I just had to follow my heart.
Along with ten other visually impaired individuals, including two foreigners, Sunitha took to the skies, enjoying the thrill of paragliding. Engaging in adventurous sports like paragliding requires more than just immediate readiness. It takes courage, and visually impaired individuals like Sunitha are living proof that physical limitations don’t hinder them from enjoying thrilling experiences. Inclusive paragliding, organized by the “Blind Rocks” organization, provided the first-ever paragliding experience to many.
Chandni Sharma from Baglung, who studies at Prithvi Narayan Campus in Pokhara, was also enthusiastic after her paragliding experience. She had never imagined soaring in the clouds and was excited about the whole experience. Chandni said I had only seen paragliding from a distance till the other day. I never thought I would get to do it myself. It was a dream come true and I felt so much happiness in my heart.
Sristi K.C., the founder and president of the “Blind Rocks” organization, also had her second paragliding experience. She was proactive in taking the initiative and providing opportunities to her friends. The message conveyed through successful experiences is that limitations due to disability and visual impairment don’t hold one back from achieving success. Srishti expressed, “This inclusive tourism promotes progress. It sends the message that success is not restricted by physical disabilities and visual impairment. You can go beyond, and you can fly.”
Her paragliding experience also filled her with a sense of awe. Srishti shared, “I touched clouds inside a cloud. The happiness of soaring inside the clouds can’t be described in words. Achieving dreams is not just about having visions; it requires courage and self-belief, and it’s never impossible due to any disability.”
Pilot Ram Gautam, who enabled the visually impaired to fly, described his first experience with them as inspiring. While ordinary people find joy in merely viewing the paragliders and being excited about their happiness, when describing his experience with the visually impaired, he managed to convey enthusiasm to all the others present as well.
He said, “Ordinary people feel delighted while flying over mountains, lakes, and terraced fields. But when you describe soaring above the clouds, inside the clouds, they also get excited.”
He added, “Inclusive paragliding provides opportunities for regular people to witness the visually impaired flying above lakes and inside clouds. It inspires them as well.”
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