 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A core team of dedicated pilots & adventure enthusiasts run Nirvana Adventures. Our goal is to promote the sport of paragliding by offering safe, standardized training and an encouraging atmosphere to all who want to give the sport a try. We are committed to promoting Kamshet as an adventure tourism destination, maintaining the flying sites in the region as well as preserving its natural beauty and ecological balance for future generations.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Sanjay Rao has had a presence in Kamshet for over a decade. In 1996 he discovered free flight and set up Nirvana Adventures at Kamshet with the idea of eveloping the region as a paragliding destination. His knowledge of the area and his relationship with the local people has been instrumental in opening up the area for flying to the PG community. Sanjay is known and respected amongst the world PG community as well as amongst the villagers of Kamshet for single handedly elevating this back of beyond place into an adventure hub, impacting the lives of the local people and making Kamshet a sought after PG holiday destination. His people ability as well as his infrastructure developing skills, have elevated Nirvana into a premier adventure company. He grew up in Mumbai but today he spends the greater part of his time at Kamshet.
His family hails from Manipal in South India where he spent a few years studying engineering. He speaks the local languages. His friends know him to be a great cook, a good organizer and a party animal.
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Sanjay Pendurkar has been flying since 1996. He has extensively trekked the Western Ghats and is an avid mountaineer. He is passionate about flying and the outdoors and has para trekked and flown some of the most elusive peaks of the region. Pendurkar visits the Himalayas each year spending a month there flying with world class pilots and honing his skills. For the past 2 years he has been taking part in the Pre Paragliding World Cup held at Billing, Himachal Pradesh in the professional category coming out looking good each time. He was born in Konkan region, a tiny stretch between the Western Ghats and the sea. Pendurkar speaks all the local languages and dialects.
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Astrid Rao manages the marketing and administration from the city office. She grew up in a little village by the sea in Mumbai and traces her ancestry back to the original inhabitants of the city. She graduated with honors in Ancient Indian Culture and has had a successful carrier in advertising & film making in the city for 10 years. Today Nirvana Adventures, nature and her son take up much of her time. Astrid also runs Native Place, a guesthouse at Kamshet inspired by the sustainable, ecology conscious homesteads of village India. She networks with the BNHS and other conservation organizations in the areas of nature education and conservation. At present she is attempting documentation of the endangered vulture population in the Kamshet region. She is also a freelance travel writer.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Yogi hails from Himalayan country. At 17 he left his remote village high in the mountains of Nepal to look for adventure in the big city. A chance meeting with Sanjay Rao led to him working at Kamshet. Yogi took to flying as a fledgling takes to the air. He has been living and flying in Kamshet since 1998. He has watched the weather daily since and is finely in tune with it. He is greatly admired for his kiting skills. Pilots flying at Kamshet invariably prefer to wait and watch until Yogi takes off and accesses conditions before spreading their wings.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
A native of Karanjgaon, the location of our favorite Shelar site, Ravi has watched us fly since the first day we stumbled upon this site in 97’ He has been inducted into Nirvana Adventures in 03’ as a part of our scheme to involve and impact upon the lives of the locals. After months of rigorous training under the watchful eye of the senior crew as well as his own keen observation over the years, his ground skills are impeccable. His quiet self assured calm is infective on the ground handling field and students he supervises are quick to relax under his able care as a ground assistant.
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
