McLeod Ganj, known as “Little Lhasa,” offers tranquility and inspiration for a thrilling paragliding adventure in Bir billing, Himachal, emphasising the importance of pursuing dreams, recalls Madhuri – exclusively for Different Truths.

In the spartan months of March, travel becomes an essential indulgence, and most often my heart longs for the misty immensity of hills. To seek refuge from the thronging manifold shapes of fancy and yearning for the simple and the vast, as opposed to the dry, immeasurable summer, we chose McLeod Ganj.

The place teeters precariously on a mountainside. its multicoloured houses stacked like playing cards, as if one day, a sharp gust of wind will simply blow them away. But the streets are a frenzied whirl of activity —horns blaring, chai-wallas hollering. It smells of incense, spices, and sweat. Passing through the temple gates is like walking through a waterfall. The deafening pandemonium of the street subsides, and suddenly, calm descends. Everywhere I look, monks go about their daily lives, their faces serene, faintly smiling, as though the ghost of some past joke still lingers on their lips. They move slowly and deliberately, their robes falling around them in crimson waves.  Everywhere, strings of iconic Tibetan prayer flags flutter in the breeze in this Dalai Lama’s homestead.

High in the Himalayan foothills, I met and befriended Youdon. “No one sees McLeod as home,” Youdon said. “The Indian government is very kind, but even those who were born here, like me, look at this as a temporary set-up.” My favourite part of the day was watching the sun set over me, looking at the snow-capped mountains turning pink, and watching the eagles fly overhead. McLeod Ganj rewarded me with a sense of peace I’d never experienced before. Maybe it was the crisp mountain air, all the meditation, a break from all the gadgets, or even boredom. Whatever the cause, it worked for me.

Small-town living has given me a chance to observe things I normally would not have slowed down to notice in this “Little Lhasa.” After the rest and introspection of over ten days, my heart decided on a different adventure, one that had compelled me for a long time—Bir billing, Himachal.

But to understand this, you must know that I’m not crazy. Sure, I’ve had some close calls with my adrenaline rush. That’s the thing about setting out to pursue your dreams. When you take the leap and pull it off, it sets a precedent. It builds confidence, and because we are humans and are inclined to want more, we want more.

Navigating a piece of flimsy plastic and string across a mountain range, using nothing but invisible thermals and skill, is more implausible than the most vivid dreams. My paraglider gave me some miles. Launch Site: 8050 feet above sea level, good climatic conditions too. The weather patterns and routes are all taken care of by him, a is about one foot taller than me. No post-holing, just a few steps, and then whoosh … I had never seen a landscape this way in my life. Massive green, distant peaks stretched to the horizon and beyond, separated by meandering rivulets and silty rivers or village huts perched in unlikely places. The largeness of the place makes you feel how inconsequential you are. How little we matter. And how silly it is to worry about all the things we think are essential.

An eagle spreads her wings mere feet from my wingtip, and we climb together, circling round and round as the ground drops away. I’ve dreamed of this flight a million times. I know I will never do it again. It isn’t repeatable because no flight ever is. And makes you feel a little less crazy.  There is someone else besides me sharing, suffering, and risking his life, it makes me feel more confident that I haven’t gone off the end, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude takes hold that I fantasise I can hold onto forever deep gratitude.

It is a great feeling to tick off another adventure from my bucket list. The next few months will be spent in peace and prayer, recalling the thrill of this adventure and the contentment of having made it. Like many experiences in Himachal, bright stars under a night sky, craggy rocks, vast greens, and an eagle’s eye view are what I am going to treasure most.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Madhuri Bhattacharya

Madhuri Bhattacharya is a closet writer and literature enthusiast. After a long career of over 30 years, the joy of travelling and writing occupies her. Armed Forces background makes her enthusiastic about adventure, travel, and more.

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