Jamshedpur: An eight-day skydiving festival, under the aegis of the Jharkhand Tourism Department, was inaugurated in Jamshedpur on Sunday.
On the first day, at least nine enthusiasts took part in skydiving from an altitude of 10,000 feet, an official said.
Jharkhand Tourism Minister Sudivya Kumar inaugurated the event at Sonari Airport.
Skydiving is the sport or activity of jumping from an aircraft and performing acrobatic manoeuvres in the air under free fall before landing by parachute.
"We are making all efforts to promote tourism in the state, and this is one of them. Skydiving is being organised for the first time in the state," Kumar said.
Kumar also said the state is known for its religious tourism.
"We also want to progress and move forward in adventure tourism such as skydiving, rock climbing, paragliding, parasailing and travelling in hot air balloons," he told reporters.
Urging the residents of Jharkhand to participate in the festival, the minister said that such events are seen abroad and also in other states of the country.
Skyhigh India, a private company, is holding the event in association with the tourism department.
The company's founder, Digvijay Sing, said the event will conclude on Feb 23. "Around 55 enthusiasts from Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Purulia, Ranchi and Jamshedpur have registered for skydiving. We hope the number will cross the 100 mark," Singh told PTI.
Later, the minister also met the participants to learn about their experiences. The participants told him it was a unique experience for them.
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