‘Wanted to know how it feels to fly’ — 82-year-old grandmother is Sikkim’s oldest paraglider

Dukmit Lepcha took to the skies last week, paragliding near the Aangi monastery at Ranka, a small town near Gangtok. She flew for 6 mins at an elevation of about 4,500 feet.

Dukmit Lepcha takes a photo while paragliding | By special arrangement 

Guwahati: For 82-year-old Dukmit Lepcha, the experience of tandem paragliding was “pleasant”. A grandmother of three, Lepcha had been wanting to paraglide for a year now, and finally made the dream come true last week, becoming the oldest paraglider in Sikkim yet.

“The oldest paraglider we registered before Dumkit Lepcha was a 68-year-old man,” said Arjun Rai, technical head, Sikkim Paragliding Association.

Lepcha took to the skies on 28 October from a paragliding point near the Aangi monastery at Ranka, a small town situated 20 km from Gangtok. She flew for nearly six minutes at an elevation of about 4,500 feet as her family and onlookers cheered on.

Speaking to ThePrint, she said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience, gliding across the beautiful landscape surrounded by the Himalayas and white clouds.

“It was such a pleasant experience. I enjoyed it, and no, I was not afraid. My granddaughter who is 17-years-old went before me, but she was a little scared. I did not tremble at all because I wanted to know what it feels like to fly,” said Lepcha, adding that she wanted to “stay up there for a while longer”.

An adventure head

Nima Tamang, an instructor who flew tandem with Lepcha, told ThePrint that the grandmother was “as normal as any other flier”.

“I was not aware of her age before the flight. She made no complaint and stayed relaxed. In fact, she wanted to fly for a little longer, but I had already directed my glide to a lower altitude. She is fit and energetic,” said Tamang.

This isn’t the first adventure sport Lepcha has participated in. In 2016, she went scuba diving off the Andaman coast.

“I was not afraid to dive and this time as well, I was not afraid to fly. What I want to do next is cycling. My grandkids tease me saying I cannot cycle wearing a Bakhkhu (the traditional skirt). Let’s see,” she said.

Lepcha, who lost her husband two years ago, lives with her two sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. Lepcha said she stays fit by doing daily chores and her children ensure she eats well.

“I am 68 kgs and I just follow a normal routine … sometimes I clean the cattle shed, but my children and grandchildren do not let me work now. They make sure I have regular meals,” she said, adding that her family takes very good care of her.