Table Of ContentSRISHTI PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS
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First published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors in 2016
Copyright © Arpit Vageria, 2016
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, organisations and events described in this book are either a
work of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to people, living or dead,
places, events, communities or organisations is purely coincidental.
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the Publishers.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
January 2005
9 July 2006
March, 2005
11 July 2006
12 July 2006
27 July 2006
29 July 2006
30 July 2006
1 August 2006
9 August 2006
10 August 2006
12 August 2006
Life is went on...
11 July 2006
26 August 2006
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
I will begin by thanking my grandfather, Mr. Sohan Lal Vageria for his
unconditional love and blessings; my parents, Mr. Dilip Vageria and Mrs.
Vandana Vageria for being the loveliest couple and also for their undying
support and encouragement; my elder brother, Ankit Vageria, for always being
there whenever I am in trouble and for being my 2 a.m. buddy; my sister-in-law,
Donika Vageria for her unwavering faith in me; and to the world’s cutest kid
ever, my niece, Maahi Vageria for looking vanilla-ice-cream-scoop cute and for
making my life with her smile. I can go on and on talking about her and she’ll be
more than proud to read when she grows up to be a beautiful young woman
someday. There’s so much to thank my entire family for, but I thank them for
being able to understand my profession and commitments that come along with
it.
No thank you is big enough for Swapnil Kothari sir, for he not only
constantly motivated me but also guided me by taking away the sting from his
words intelligently, and for being with me through every phase of my life and
guiding me on what’s right and what’s not, both personally and professionally.
Even if I become 1% of what he is, my life will be made and I’ll have no regrets
from this world. I have never ever in my life met as humble a person as him and
as amazing a thinker that he is.
A big thank you is due to ‘Renaissance’ and ‘Indore Indira college’ families
for always loving me.
Some of the names without whom I consider my life incomplete and bland
are Aditi Solanki, for being the first ever person to praise my writing by making
me believe that I can write and that people will read and like it; Riddhi, for being
the most amazing human being ever; Vankush for always believing in me and
my potential; and Novoneel, for being there with me in all the ups and downs of
life and supporting me in the best possible way. Rohit Raikwar, Ankit, Piyush
Shah and Romil Jain for being the best ever flat-mates and giving me so many
memories to cherish.
I am grateful to Shashi ma’am, Kuldeep, Zeba, Shikha, Manali, Amruta,
Pratiksha, Pooja, Nageen and Apoorv for always being a wonderful company.
I would also like to thank some of my childhood friends – Rohan Raikwar,
Manoj Punjabi, Himanshu Jain, Vinay Sachdeva, Pramod Jaiswal, Prateek Vyas,
Ulhas Baviskar, and Deep Bhand for making my world better and interesting.
Heartfelt thanks to some friends who kept me grounded and taught me to see
life from a fresh perspective – Pooja Anjania, Vinay Anjania, Saurabh sir,
Naveen, Sachi, Preeti Singh ma’am, Ayush, Manisha, Ayushi, Saloni, Supriti,
Mayank, Sumit, Gaurav, Shubham, Kunal, Kroni, Sukriti, Mithun and Karan.
I would now like to thank my publisher for accepting my story and showing
huge interest in the same. Thanks for being ever so supportive, team Srishti
Publishers.
And lastly, to myself, for being able to complete this wonderful book.
January 2005
A amir was sweating in the cold because he was scared. He hadn’t spoken
much, and Dhruv didn’t press him for it too. His shirt was soaked in
several places when Dhruv took him to a paragliding destination close to
Rohtang Pass. Looking at the people swinging, dancing and shouting in the air
made Dhruv think, ‘I’d like to try it too, at least for once in my life.’ And that’s
how he decided to take his first paragliding flight over the mountains along with
Aamir, though much against Aamir’s wish.
‘I am just not doing it, and I will not allow you to do it either, Dhruv,’ Aamir
said.
‘Of course we’re doing it. Imagine this unforgettable thrill that we’ll
remember for a lifetime, Aamir. You just can’t afford to say no to this.’
‘I’m not that brave, Dhruv; nor am I that crazy. I just can’t do this. Please let
it go. Got it?’
‘That’s great. I’m not that brave either. We’ll face the fear and the adventure
together. This is going to be awesome, bro!’ Dhruv was literally shouting at the
top of his voice.
‘Did you hear what that pilot said? You can’t sit before you take off, else
you’ll roll down the mountains and we’re not responsible for that.’ Aamir looked
hysterical .
‘That’s a part of his job: to explain the procedure. The take off will be much
easier than what you think it will be. You need to take just a few steps running
down the hill and you’ll be in the air. Don’t you want to get the closest feeling of
being a bird? It’s a fun, even safe way to experience flight in its simplest form,’
Dhruv tried to pacify him.
‘Dhruv, please try and understand. I am near to pissing in my pants after
seeing them shout and hang in the middle of nowhere. Alright, everything turns
out fine usually. But what if we are those unusual, unlucky ones who don’t make
it? No, Dhruv! Never ever am I doing this. It’s too much of a risk. Don’t be
stupid.’
‘And I can’t afford to miss out on this fun. Even if you’re not coming, I am
going to do this, all by myself. I am going to jump if you’re not doing it. See me
dead or alive…your choice, Aamir.’
‘You can’t make puppy eyes to get your way on this matter of life and death,
Dhruv.’
‘I am not looking back, Aamir.’ He said, as he drew close to the paragliding
pilot and paid him for a ride.
‘Make it for two.’
‘What?’
‘That’s what you heard, you dog; you aren’t really leaving me with an option
here. I am just doing it for you, to see you happy and nothing else.’
Dhruv ran to hug Aamir. They smiled, laughed and got ready for an
experience like never before. Both of them were quite unsettled though.
‘Are you ready for this?’ the pilot asked. They both gave their bravest smiles
.
After a short test run, they were both attached with two separate paragliding
pilots and they didn’t look back when their instructor asked them to run.
They began to fly. They were settled comfortably in the harness and
experienced the indescribable freedom of flight and fright. Once in the air, the
pilot was able to maintain and gain altitude using rising air currents and
thermals. They continued to fly over the mountains, driven by the winds,
admiring the landscape, enjoying the silence. They touched the tress beneath
them with their feet, and with every rise in height, the view became incredible;
the world below grew smaller and smaller All their problems, fears and anxieties
started disappearing, and their minds were set free like birds set free from their
cages.
After a wonderful flight, when they were preparing to land, the pilot
explained that they just had to run down once to the earth. He simply steered it
into the landing area, and glided down for a very gentle touchdown on earth. As
they touched the ground with a thrust, Aamir and Dhruv laughed out loud
looking at each other, overjoyed at having fulfilled their dream of flying.
‘We made it. We’re alive. We are the superheroes…’ Aamir was shouting all
the way to every person passing by.
1 July 2006
