Lost his eyesight, but not his dignity; Divyanshu is believed to be the first visually-challenged person to fly solo on a paraglider.

1. The Story Of Divyanshu Ganatra: Blind
Psychologist, Paraglider & Advocate For
Disability Rights
Believed to have become the first visually-challenged
person to fly solo on a paraglider
“I HAD LOST MY EYESIGHT,
BUT I HAD NOT LOST MY DIGNITY”

2. Divyanshu took a two-minute flight in the skies
as a solo paraglider, becoming the first visually
challenged person in India to do so, according
to his trainers.
“I always wanted to fly and I was 700 feet high
in the air. It was exhilarating. I was enjoying
complete freedom. It was a beautiful
experience which I cannot describe in words.
At the most I can say, I was experiencing
oneness with nature and its elements”.

3. It was not an easy journey though.
Divyanshu Ganatra lost his eyesight to
glaucoma when he was 19, he has also
fought off tuberculosis in his journey to
success.

4. Divyanshu learnt to navigate the world,
and while at it, grew proficient in the
use of computers and software. He quit
an institute he had set up to teach the
visually impaired computer skills to
pursue human psychology because
"computers seemed outdated; the
brain is the most complex machinery".

5. His effort won him The National Award
for the Welfare of Persons with
Disabilities and was chosen for the
‘Ten Outstanding Young Indians Award’
by a youth organisation.

6. In Divyanshu’s words, “We can focus
either on problems or solutions. It is up
to our perspective towards looking at
things. With this frame of mind, a
disabled person can overcome any
challenge in life”.

7. Talking about his plans to take this
experience forward, he says, “In our
country, enjoying adventure sports is still
a distant dream for the disabled given
the lack of infrastructure. These kind of
sporting activities are great energisers
and equalisers and I want to promote
these among persons with different
disabilities”.