It seems there’s not a thing Divyanshu Ganatra has not thought through. Yet, instead of being on edge, he’s light and breezy—just as he was on his April 30 paragliding flight, which created national history. Ganatra become the first visually challenged Indian to fly solo as a paraglider.

A cognitive neuroscientist, 37-year-old Ganatra has always been into adventure sports such as trekking and white-water rafting. Losing his vision to glaucoma at 19, he (and his family) strove to ensure he didn’t give up on ‘normal’ life as we know it. Of his fascination with flying, he says, “Flying is something we all want to do, is it not?”  But, given his condition, he had to find the right trainer. “I was in search of good trainers who believed I could do it. Since safety is not considered too big a factor in India, it was important for me to get the right infrastructure,” he says. In the end, he stumbled upon Templepilots in Pune. Run by Avi and Anita Malik, it’s a well-known paragliding institute and employs trainers certified by the Association of Pro­­f­­essio­nal Pilots and Ins­tr­uctors, Switzerland.

“Divyanshu was chilled out and wanted to do it for the right reason,” says Avi, who put Ganatra through the paces. “He did not want to prove anything to anyone and just wanted to have fun. His IQ and his attitude are both very good.” Perhaps Ganantra derives his attitude towards challenges from his training as a neuroscientist. “When it comes to the physical challenge (of being visually impaired) there are two things. I have studied how we analyse and process information. Reality is not what is out there but what we make of it. For example, more people die in road accidents than in flying accidents. When you redefine a challenge, the focus is on a solution. I had fears, but they served only to caution me.” Both trainer and glider were in sync. Ganatra would be guided through wireless radio. Nothing was left to chance. With ample practice, he was able to think through all the contingencies and ensured he wouldn’t get scared.

Avi made a model aircraft so that Ganatra could understand by touch what he was going to fly. He also had to learn to assess the strength of the wind. “I made him feel my shoulder and forearms to understand how the muscles were to be moved. With the help of a simulator, we practised commands for turning, braking on ground, principles of flight, use of hands.... We practised landing and we were ready on the fifth day,” says Avi.

SOURCE: Outlook India