For nearly 15 years, the skies above Vagamon were his playground. Now, the same passion that lifted Jobin Sebastian from the rolling hills of Kerala has carried him across continents to the heart of Europe, where he is set to compete among the finest paragliders in the world.
A native of Yendayar, a village tucked away in the eastern high ranges of Kottayam, Mr. Sebastian will represent the United Kingdom at the European Paragliding Accuracy Championship scheduled to be held in Romania this October. The 40-year-old is among the five-member UK team selected for the championship, along with Andy Shaw, Myrianthe Ewington, Tom Ewington and Dexter Bond. His place at the prestigious event was secured through the points he accumulated in national-level competitions held across the UK over the past year.
But behind this achievement lies a journey of determination, sacrifice and a dream that refused to stay grounded. Mr.sebastian, who migrated to the UK in search of better living conditions two years ago, currently works as a caregiver. Before moving abroad, he spent more than a decade as a commercial paragliding instructor in Vagamon and was a familiar figure in the region’s skies.
Turning point
Life, however, took a different turn sometime after he moved to the UK as he rebuilt his connection with the sport through social media groups, joined training sessions and eventually earned an international licence that allows him to fly in most countries, except the United States and Canada.
The selection has been a moment of pride for Mr. Sebastian, who expressed his gratitude to the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, a network of paragliding clubs and training schools in the UK. “Earning this selection was never easy. After migrating to the UK to work as a caregiver, I had to struggle to balance my job, family responsibilities and training. As far as I know, I am probably the first Indian to represent the UK in this championship,” he said.
Overcoming challenges
Living with his wife and two children at Yeovil in the UK, he had to carve out time from his busy schedule to keep his passion alive. He travelled twice a month for training sessions, often undertaking long journeys after work. “Attending training itself was a challenge as I had to travel nearly 2.5 hours by road to reach Worthing in outer London. Each training session cost me around ₹15,000,” he explained.
Mr. Sebastian credits much of his success to Andy Shaw, a British paraglider and founder of Green Dragons Airsports, who encouraged him to pursue competitive flying despite the financial challenges. “Considering my limited income, taking part in such competitions was always beyond my reach. But Andy kept motivating me, supported my training and even sponsored my kit,” he said.
Mr. Sebastian’s tryst with competitive paragliding began in India, where he participated in several tournaments and secured third place in the inaugural Top Landing Accuracy Championship held as part of the International Paragliding Festival at Vagamon. Now, as he prepares to soar above the European landscape,he seasoned paraglider dreams of turning his passion into a full-time profession.
“The weather in Europe is even more unpredictable than in Kerala and making a career out of paragliding there is never easy. But I believe I will be able to achieve that dream someday. I do not know when that day will come, but I am certain it will,” he says with a sense of conviction.
Published – July 11, 2026 07:39 pm IST
