Shimla : Nestled amidst quaint mountains with the mighty Dhauladhar range in its backdrop adding to its glory, the Bir-Billing area in Himachal Pradesh this weekend will have more to offer than just India’s first AAI Paragliding World Cup 2015.
Tourists and adventure lovers to the picturesque towns of Bir and Billing, where 130 paragliders from 35 countries will converge during October 23-31, will also savour a taste of Tibetan culture and get a chance to angle for fish, camp, trek and, of course, paraglide as a free-flyer. “After seeing the inaugural flights, we will devote time for searching out Tibetan spiritual sustenance,” Abhishek Nayyar, a Chandigarh-based senior executive with a multinational company, told IANS.
He said after the opening day of the World Cup, he and his friends would spend time in nearby Tibetan monasteries and shop for handicrafts. Mona Dhingra, a Delhi-based entrepreneur whose husband is a free-flyer, said it’s more than flying this weekend. “We are planning to mix the long Dussehra weekend with leisure, flying and spiritualism,” she said.
Bir, the landing site that is also home to Tibetan refugees and Buddhist monasteries, and the take-off point of Billing are separated by 14 km in Kangra district, some 275 km from Chandigarh. A French contingent with 13 pilots, including many who have won World Cups and Super Cups and have been ranked World No.1, will figure in the event, Sudhir Sharma, president of the Billing Paragliding Association, the club organising the event, told IANS. The French team also includes the current World No.1.
The paragliders also include about 12 women, including former World No.1 Klaudia Bulgakow of Poland, who also won the 2013 Pre-World Cup at Bir and Billing. While the state government and the Billing Paragliding Association would jointly organise the event, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) would be the title sponsors.
Members of the hospitality industry are expecting record footfalls during the long weekend coinciding with the Paragliding World Cup.
