GUWAHATI, Feb 15 � Book-lovers will get a taste of adventure in the biggest literary summit of the North-east, with the forthcoming Barpeta Road session of Asam Sahitya Sabha set to host the first-ever skydiving show by an individual in the State.
Anupam Borah, the first and only official skydiving instructor from Assam will jump from a height of 8,000 feet, unfurling the Sahitya Sabha flag mid-air � something never witnessed in the august institution�s century-old history.
Anupam who also hails from Barpeta Road is upbeat about the event which he feels will help popularize skydiving as an adventure sports in Assam and other States of the North-east.
�Adventure sports have not gained much ground in the North-east, and skydiving is a much lesser-known discipline. I want to perform before the biggest gathering in the State � which happens to be the Sahitya Sabha session,� Anupam told The Assam Tribune.
According to Anupam, the Sabha session would be ideal to host the show due to the sheer number of people present. �This will be the perfect exposure for skydiving which is little known here. I am keen to promote skydiving in the North-east and I am confident my performance at the Sabha session will send out the positive signal,� he said.
Anupam, who works with the Indian Navy, has been into skydiving since 2003. After he underwent training in Australia, he has performed across the world in countries such as the USA, Australia, France, Japan, the UK, Malaysia, etc. He has also trained up a number of Navy personnel.
Anupam was also part of the first Indian team which participated in the skydiving world championship in France in 2008. Till date he has performed 16,000-odd jumps, the highest being from a height of 24,000 feet.
Anupam has a dream of starting a skydiving training centre in Assam if the sport gains some momentum in the North-east. �Since skydiving is a bit costly and not much known here, it could take some time. But the thrill of skydiving is such that you will get hooked into it once you have tasted it. With exposure and sustained promotion, it can be a major adventure sports here,� he added.
Rupanjit Das, an organizer of the Barpeta Road Sahitya Sabha session, said that inclusion of skydiving � that too by a local lad -- would lend a touch of novelty to the proceedings.
�It�s an innovative idea which will also help promote adventure sports in the State. The Sabha session would provide a huge exposure for the sport, as lakhs of visitors throng the session,� he said.
The Barpeta Road session is scheduled for January 31-February4, 2013.
