Tamil Nadu   

Para-gliders enthral tourists at Yelagiri

— Photo: S.S. Kumar

Free fall: A paragliding pilot taking part in the Yelagiri paragliding festival organised by the Yelagiri Adventure Sports Association and the Department of Tourism, at Yelagiri Hills in Vellore district on Friday.

Yelagiri (Vellore District): Para-gliding as adventure tourism has arrived in Tamil Nadu in all its splendour. A three-day paragliding festival began at this tourism destination on Friday. Forty-five para-gliders, including four women , from various parts of the country and abroad, who came with their equipment enthralled spectators with their jumping show.

P.H.Gopal, a resident of Auroville, Puducherry, who is an instructor and pilot, said three places in Yelagiri Hills had been identified for organising the adventure sport – Kottur, Muthanoor and Raneri. Experienced pilots would hover over the sky for over two hours during the para-gliding, Mr Gopal said.

C.Jayakrishnan, general secretary, Yelagiri Adventure Sports Association (YASA), organisers of the para-gliding festival, said full-fledged programme would begin from February next year. Those interested in participating in the adventure sport should register themselves as member of the YASA. Dharmendra Pratap Yadav, District Collector, Vellore, said it was for the first time an adventure sports event is being organised in the State. The district administration would select 10 youths from the mini hill station and send them for training in paragliding to an institute in Maharashtra. Apart from paragliding the association plans to organise trekking, rock climbing and mountain biking, Mr Jayakrishnan said. On Saturday after 11.30 a.m. due to poor wind conditions the gliders stopped the event. Around 1 p.m. when the wind conditions became conducive they jumped off the hill one by one.

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