Nirvana Adventures: making dreams come true
81 year old Mr Sanghvi is all set to fly
Hi All,
As the monsoon season draws to an end we have been watching the wind keenly waiting for it to turn east and kick off the new season.
Last week we have had a little east wind in the morning – a small window of opportunity enough for a quick flight if one is ready to brave the mucky path on the way to takeoff.
The FlyNirvana team got to Tower Hill on Saturday in full force. It was a glorious sunny day and we were there on a mission along with National Geographic Channel to make the dreams of Mr. Shantilal Sanghvi an 81 year old gentleman come true.
First flight of the new season October 2011
Mr Sanghvi had always wanted to fly like a bird. National Geographic and Nirvana Adventures joined hands to help him fulfill his dream of free flight. The mission was accomplished much to the excitement of this extremely fit octogenarian. He had a marvelous time paragliding as did all of us. The show is entitled ‘Zindagi Mein Ek Baar’, is anchored by VJ Purab Kohli and will air sometime next month. We will announce it on the ‘Nirvana Adventures Paragliding Facebook group’
Another new season is about to unfold people. Get your wings & your boots out of the closet and step into the sunshine.
Peace Bliss & Happy Landings
Astrid Rao
www.flynirvana.com
www.nativeplace.com
Nirvana Adventures 15 August 2011 Independence day blog
Celebrating Independence Day with school children at Kamshet
Last weekend we visited the Golden Glades secondary school to hoist the flag and celebrate Independence Day with the children. We were also there to inaugurate a new water tank that was donated by Nirvana Adventures to provide drinking water to the school children.
drinking water for school children
The entire Kamshet region is shell shocked by this incident where farmers protesting the diversion of their waters. First we take their land and submerge it and then those very waters are diverted elsewhere. What do we do with industrialization if we do not have food to eat? How can we turn guns onto farmers running helter skelter?
Seeing those images on the television was a terrible shock. Hey this is not the enemy – they put food on our tables and we need to respect them and listen to their concerns. It was hard to face our own staff and instructors like Ravi Bandya, Sandeep, Mangesh, Eknath whose parents are farmers in this very region and to look at the hurt and confusion in their eyes. There is no explanation that can make this unfortunate incident go away.
Yes the farmers of Pawna assembled on the expressway and halted traffic – but such protests are a part of our history and our very own struggle for independence. How does the farmer grow crops without water? Should he wait for it to run out before he voices his opinion . Should we put it down to politics or call it kalyug and pass it off ???
It is time to reflect and to act
Peace Bliss & Happy Landings
Astrid & Sanjay Rao
Check out the trailer ‘Flow’ an award winning documentary, an investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis. The film builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
Nirvana Adventures End of Paragliding Season May 2011
Happy children and Nirvana Pilots a great way to end the season
Hi All,
By the end of May each year Nirvana Adventures celebrates the end of the paragliding season at Kamshet. This year we chose the 4/5th of June as the weekend for the celebration . As per tradition we have celebrated at the location of the Shelar site where we have been flying all summer but this time our annual celebration took a new turn. The monsoon was already upon us and the forecast for the week was thundershowers in the afternoon so we decided to invite the kids of the Shelar site to Native Place for a special treat.
Ravi picked them up in the van, 26 of them ages between 8 and 14 and brought them over to Native Place in the morning. It was a new experience for them. I led the nature trail, quizzing them about the native trees in the garden and followed it up with a treasure hunt that thrilled them as well as all the pilots who had gathered to take part in the celebration.
Astrid leads them on a nature trail around the Native Place Garden
Sharing our joy
This was followed by more interactive games, lunch, many prizes and return gifts. The kids were delighted with everything – it was all new for them and they welcomed each experience. The party left me with on a high not much unlike the one that hangs around you like a light fluffy cloud after a great flight. The only difference being that it has stayed with me… such an amazing feeling of joy.
In the afternoon we trekked up to the Gonshubai temple on the Shelar hillside. Another surreal experience –
The entire area was blanketed by a luminescent grey blue sky, waves of thick white clouds were spilling over the hillsides sometimes obscuring and sometimes revealing in a most dramatic fashion, the rugged wild empty hillside took on a mysterious air and the orange flags that signaled Gonshubai’s presence called to us from their distant perch.
Making our way up to Gonshubai's Shrine
Amazing views and awesome ambience at the shirne
Big smiles after heartfelt prayers
It was a special time, we were gifted with a moment of such considerable beauty, that left us stunned with a frozen gaze. The splendor of the moment so dazzled us, our compulsively chattering gave pause, tethering us to the here and the now. WE paid our respects to the deity of the hillside mentally thanking her for a great season and left in silence ….
Dazzling views all around us
The entire day was a gift – we had touched the hearts of 26 children, made a trek to Gonshubai that left us dazed and now we were on our way back home to Native Place to enjoy a dazzling display of fireflies and the company of amazing friends.
What more could anyone ask for I say 
Peace Bliss and Happy Landings
Astrid Rao
www.flynirvana.com
www.nativeplace.com
Our 2011 FlyNirvana website is now up
welcome to a brand new flynirvana website
Hi all,
We are pleased to announce that our new website flynirvana.com is now up and running
Peace Bliss & Happy Landings
Astrid & Sanjay Rao
The Golden Glades School at Kamshet gets a Library
When Eddy, Rob, Hans, Oskar came on their 3rd flying holiday to Kamshet they landed in Mumbai to find their gliders had missed the flight.
Nonetheless they had a good trip and we received a letter from them saying -
“ the four of us feel that we had a fantastic week despite the late arrival of the gliders. It’s good to get some money of KLM because of their lack of service but it would feel even better if we can give this money to someone who is in more need that ourselves. Therefore we want to donate the 21.500 INR to something in the Kamshet area as a bit of a give back. First thing that comes to mind is the little school we’re driving by in the morning from Native place on our way to Kamshet.
However, with the both of you being the locals, you might have a better idea/suggestion. We would welcome any suggestion based on the principle that the money should serve a clear purpose, i.e. education or school infrastructure and is not used for an individual need. Anyway, if you have a better suggestion let us know, otherwise we’ll stick with the school.”
We consulted with Ravi, Sandeep and the staff at their Alma Mater - the only secondary school in the area to which all the children from the neighboring villages go to after grade 5 and found that the school needed a library. What better gift than books?On October 2nd after our first training session of the season the nirvana team with 12 students in tow went over to the school and handed over the package to 300 excited children.
Eddy, Rob, Hans, Oskar thank you for your thoughtfulness. The children can’t wait to get their hands on the books.
Peace Bliss & Happy Landings
Sanjay & Astrid Rao