Shreyashi Tamang, a 15-year-old student from St Joseph’s School in Kalimpong, flew high — from a height of 14,400 feet no less — to fulfil her mother’s dream.

Shreyashi not only competed in the Ladakh Aero Festival Pre-Paragliding Accuracy World Cup 2024 held at Leh in Ladakh from August 24 to 28 as the youngest pilot in the competition, she also secured a silver medal in the women’s category in her debut.

“My mother Leela Tamang always wanted to paraglide but she could not fulfil her dreams as she had to take care of me. When I decided to take up paragliding, she wholeheartedly supported me,” Shreyashi told The Telegraph over the phone from Kalimpong.

Shreyashi’s father Rinchen Tamang ran a paragliding company in Kalimpong but he died of Covid in 2020. Her mother Leela now runs the company in Kalimpong.

Shreyashi was introduced to paragliding by her dad when she was only nine
years old.

“It was on December 18, 2022, that I enrolled in a training institute in Himachal Pradesh and did ground training for six hours before my first solo flight on December 21,” said Shreyashi. She was only 13 years old then.

Shreyashi had not flown for the past four months before the Ladakh competition.

“Last year, too, I had participated in the competition but because I could not qualify for the competition for being under-age. I was only allowed to practise with the participants,” said Shreyashi.

This year there were 109 participants, both male and female, from India, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand and UAE during the event that was held from August 24 to 28.

Shreyashi stood second in the accuracy competition.

“In this event, one had to fly from an altitude of 14,400 feet and land in an earmarked circle. We were judged on the accuracy of our landing,” she said. Each participant had to fly 12 times before the total was computed.

The Class X student of St Joseph’s Convent also thanked her school. “Our school principal Rev. Sr. Mary James and all my teachers and classmates have encouraged me all along. They have cooperated with me when I have missed classes to participate in such events,” said Shreyashi.

The young paraglider, who is also the goalkeeper of a football team and runs marathons, aspires to be an acrobatic paraglider in the future.

“One has to follow one’s dream and not think about how others judge you,” said the wise teenager.