Vijay Soni: 1972-2025

I first met Vijay Soni in 1999 at a paragliding meet in Pune. I had learned to fly in Himachal, and Vijay in Maharashtra. Though we both began flying around 1995/96, it took four years for our paths to cross. From that very first meeting, we saw each other as kindred spirits and quickly became close friends.

At the end of that event, we tried some synchronised wingovers. Being in the air near him felt natural. Our non-verbal communication was smooth – perhaps because neither of us was great with words. We were...