Heavy Clouds No Rain

May 15, 2012 · by Astrid Rao · in , , ,

Cu Nim rising over the Shelar Paragliding site


Hi All,

Friday we approached the Shelar Paragliding site to see a large Cu Nim peeping over the back of the ridge. Kind of like an iceberg where you get to see the benign top and not the huge expanse lurking below. That put paid to our takeoff ideas and we hung about playing cricket, flying kites, ground handling or cloud watching.

Soon we headed back to Native Place and up to the terrace to witness the drama in the sky and wait for the big thundershower that the looming dark clouds were promising. Big clouds were sneaking in from the west, slipping behind the ridge from the north and joining the bank of clouds behind the ridge.

Soon the entire ridge was encased in a formidable yet fluffy cloud wall. There were hints of lightning in the distance too. We settled down with refreshments waiting for the big rain.

We could read it in the clouds and smell it on the breeze yet we looked up at the sky in vain… heavy clouds but no rain. The shower bypassed us to shed its load elsewhere teasing us with that familiar haunting smell of drenched earth.

Saturday and Sunday proved to be good in the paragliding department. As it always is post a big shower at this time of the year and paragliding pilots and students went back to the city sated.

Peace Bliss & Happy Landings
Sanjay & Astrid Rao
www.flynirvana.com

Rediscovering Nirvana

April 12, 2012 · by Astrid Rao · in , ,
flynirvana.com

Rediscovering Nirvana

Hi All,
I received the XC mag just before we drove up to Kamshet on Friday and the first thing that caught my eye was David Obura’s article titled ‘Rediscovering Nirvana” David had taken a long break from paragliding and last year he visited us at Kamshet to spend a week flying in hospitable conditions and get his groove back.
I myself was getting back to Kamshet and paragliding after a gap of 3 long months and that weekend I too rediscovered Nirvana. The afternoon flying at Shelar was incredibly smooth. It’s the kind of conditions that lull you into easy going mode.

Looking for the Skylords

I soared about close to the cliff peeping into the vulture and falcons nests in the rock, screeching out to a cheeky peregrine falcon who simply ignored me – guess my diction was not up to the mark, this is how it must feel to be a raptor I thought – soaring on top of the food chain a sky lord overlooking the entire scene with eyes that don’t blink and with nothing to concern you at all. Soon Sunith got airborne and in my heart I felt a little flutter as I saw him gain altitude and shrink into the large sky. Is this what the mama bird feel when her fledglings leave the nest. Nah! Not possible – they don’t have worries – that is reserved for us lesser humans who lack faith in our own wings. I shrugged off the feeling and smiled. There sure was a lot to smile about including watching an incredible sunset and moonrise almost simultaneously.

FlyNirvana and go home to Native Place

Time flies too you know! Not long ago our son Sunith was a toddler running barefoot across the fields and hills with the village boys for company. Today he has finished his grade 10 examination ( it’s what kept me away from Kamshet for 3 months) and is flying high with those very boys.


And things change too you know! Last year it was the road that came up all the way to the site, before that it was the vultures that left their roosting area in the cliffs in large numbers, and this year it is the windmills have sprouted on the tops of the ridges. But paragliding goes on as usual. And every one lands at sunset. And then it’s time for the FlyNirvana family to head back home to Native Place our lovely base built for pilots to come home to after a sunny day at the site.

Peace Bliss & Happy Landings

Astrid Rao

Nirvana on the ground and in the skies

February 15, 2012 · by Astrid Rao · in , , , ,

Ozone Geo III at Kamshet

Nikhil's new Ozone Geo III


Hi all,

This weekend Nikhil Bhide, unveiled his brand new glider; the Ozone Geo III in the sun colors of yellow, white and red. Being Nikhil’s first wing and the first Geo III in Kamshet everyone was excited to see it unfurl. The Geo III possesses the same DHV 1 safety class as the Ozone Mojo 3, but is about 2 kilos lighter thus making it an ideal travel glider without compromising safety. This suited Nikhil perfectly.

Tandem paragliding with Nirvana Adventures

Flying Wedding Anniversary Celebration


Saturday pilots and guests gathered together on the roof as usual to mingle enjoy the starry canopy above. We also joined in the wedding anniversary celebration of guests Mehul & Nikita. It was their 1st anniversary and Nikita wanted to do something different and a weekend of paragliding and stay at Native Place is what she chose. A novel way to celebrate we must agree! They thoroughly enjoyed the experience of flying, soaking in the relaxing vibe on the hillside as well as the camaraderie and setting at Native Place
Native Place kitchen

Nirvana Pilot Vrinda cooking up desert


We also welcomed pilot couple Chetan and Vrinda who visited after more than 3 months. Vrinda made up by whipping up some delicious gajar halwa (desert) on Sunday afternoon after which we took off to the Shelar site for some Sunday sunset flying. Conditions were great and I clocked my longest flight yet at 2 hours 10 minutes! We returned sated our smiles reflecting fulfilling flights :)

Cheers,

Sinchan
www.flynirvana.com

Ashwin’s Tryst with Paragliding at Shelar

January 27, 2012 · by Astrid Rao · in , , ,
flynirvana at shelar

I'm going to fly :)

The saffron flag above the temple fluttered vigorously. It was south wind and quite strong. I knew it was not going to be flyable. It was Saturday, 21st January 2012 … my first visit to Nirvana Adventures in Kamshet, India, for paragliding this year, and all my hopes for flying were dashed by the wind that blew in the wrong direction and at a very wrong pace. However, at Native Place, the guest house where I stay every time I visit Nirvana Adventures, you are never let down – there’s always beer, a hammock under the huge Umbar tree and a great number of melodious birds that sing better tunes than Justin Bieber. I promptly settled for the beer and a blissful afternoon under the cool shades of the graceful tree.
Just two sips of the frothy ale later I saw Vinya (one of the paragliding instructors at Nirvana Adventures) getting ready for an afternoon session of ground-handling with a bunch of new students. East, west, north or south, as long as there was wind, I could do ground-handling. Dash it! I had to abandon my beer!
Paragliding at Kamshet with Nirvana Adventures

Ashwin Krashwin and Sandip Bhalshinge

An hour later, along with the new students, I took my glider to Ashram and sweat it out it the vast openness of the place. Not before long, I noticed something amiss – the wind! Just a little while ago it blew my dream of spending quality time in air, and now it simply robbed my opportunity to spend some quality time on ground. Well, that’s what paragliding is all about, isn’t it?
3 hours later, we returned to Native Place. The sun was setting and the placid lake was like a canvas of changing colours. The air was getting colder and the Native Place terrace turned into a star-canopied lounge. There wasn’t much to talk about flying, so we sang into Nikhil Bhide’s karaoke instead.
Next day the wind god seemed pretty pleased. The wind was strong and blowing in the right direction, and the thermals were more than accommodating. This was a day to fly, I thought. It was great fun to watch every pilot take off and quickly rise above the Shelar Mountain. There were nearly 20 pilots who had already taken to the air – Rinul Pashankar, Dylan Fernandes and Hiren Savla were amongst them. It was time for Apoorva Talwalkar and Me to join them. Finally, I said to myself with a big grin, I’m going to fly. Just then I notice something amiss – the wind! Without waiting any further, I launched myself and headed straight to where everyone went to get that lift. And there, at that very spot, where every single pilot got lifted I found something amiss – the lift! I got a sink instead. I turned quickly to my left expecting to reach out to some spot where I could get a lift – but it simply wasn’t there. There was a prompt, and to an extent, a very good advice from Sandip Bhalshinge – “Ashwinbhai, flyout and go for the landing.”
I landed and looked up. The rest of them were all there, high above the mountain, flying in the cool air of Shelar. I went up again to give it another shot. At the take-off I just had to give one look at the windsock to realize there was no point in even turning the vario on. I executed a forward launch, took off and went straight for landing. I landed and looked up. The rest of them were all there, high above the mountain, flying, probably even giggling at my 2 top-to-bots!
I packed up, went to the parking and looked back and said, “I’ll be back.”

Ashwin Kunder

http://www.krashwin.blogspot.com/

Paragliding in December

January 7, 2012 · by Astrid Rao · in , , ,
Hi All,
As many of you may already know, December is a great time to paraglide in Kamshet. The Tower hill flying site is usually at its best in terms of conditions with consistent flying and windows of opportunity for pilots of all abilities through the day. Why December you may ask:  it is the holiday season,  it is too cold to fly in Europe and here at Kamshet we have consistent sunshine,  great flying weather and the vibrant yet serene native place guesthouse with its great food, atmosphere  and friends  to go home with at the end of the day.
This year’s December guest list included the usual European groups -Peder of Aventycenter Sweden and his group of 18 pilots and Vincent of Paragliding Holland and his group of 12 pilots. There were also pilots Rolf Stefan and Siegfried from Austria, Andre and Katrina from Russia, Nicky & Martin new club pilots from England, Dara Hogan from Ireland, Thomas Schultz and Alan Ross from Germany as well as old friends  Irene and Stefan from Switzerland and  Chicco and Marco Doveri from Italy.

Some of the above were familiar faces, people we have known for many years , as well as first time visitors. Each guest found their own place in the sun / sky / hammock. Every guest  was treated to panoramic nature views from the air and from Native Place, enjoyed great food at Native Place, made friends,  achieved best flights and pushed their boundaries … Most of all each of them felt a sense of being at home – in  this remote rural corner of India – at a unique eco friendly and culturally sensitive guesthouse called Native Place.

Peace Bliss & Happy Landings
Astrid & Sanjay Rao
www.flynirvana.com
www.nativeplace.com