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| Safar Ahmed, Thalassery, Kannur |
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If flying is freedom, then Safar Ahmed of Thalassery, his wife and their 6 children enjoy it together.
Safar learned gliding and para jumping as he was fascinated by the planes even as a boy staying near Delhi airport. Later, after marriage, he infused the thrill for the sky-based adventure in his wife, Afsat. Today, all his children enjoy the sport.
The eldest son Safeer started gliding even before he was 10. Daughter Safreena flew in a winch glider with a pilot when she was 5. “I did not feel the least fear. Mother, father and sisters were there with me. Besides, we were fortunate to watch scenes that not many could enjoy”, she says about that trip.
To make the sport more participatory, he has organised the Malabar Aero Society, which attracts many people to learn the art. “Learning the sport will equip the people to cope up with emergency situations”, he says. His wife too endorses the feeling of Safar and says that allowing their children to glide is part of equipping them to live with the times. The children vindicate their parents stand by being good in their studies and taking gliding as a sport they enjoy.
His 22-year-old eldest son is now in Delhi looking after the business interests of father. The other 5 children are aged 12 to 16 and are at Kozhikode. “We are the heroes in class”, says 7th standard student Safeera, who along with other brothers and sisters conduct special programmes for their friends in school.
Even in other sports, these children have shown their courage. During Malabar Festival 1996, Safar organised Horse Riding as part of the mela. As the 6 horses hired from Ootty got frightened by the crowd, they threw tantrums. Safar had no option but to take them home. On the concluding day, he was pleasantly surprised to see 5 horses trotting into the stadium. And on the horseback were his children aged 5 to 9 who had no training in horse riding!
Safar, watched on by family, checks gliding gear.
Courtesy: V.R.Jyothish, Vanitha, September 15-30, 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
