Indian Inspirational Women Like Arunima Sinha

 

Arunima Sinha

The National Level Indian volleyball player, Arunima Sinha is the world's first female amputee to climb Mt. Everest in 2013. A champion in volleyball, this Indian sports person met with a shattering incident in the year 2011, when she was pushed from a running train, because of which her left leg was amputated.

At a point in her life when a career of sports seemed devastated, she resolved to conquer Everest and ever since did everything that was required to win this impossible mission. Arunima's career in mountain climbing continued to flourish as she moved on unflinchingly, to climb the great peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus, Mt. Kosciusko, Mt. Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid and Mt. Vinson.

A New Dream

Arunima was born by the name of Sonu Sinha, in a lower-middle-class family in the Ambedkar Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh. From the young days of childhood, Arunima was an enthusiastic athlete and would take part in a variety of sports activities. Her keen interests however were in volleyball and mountaineering. She soon emerged as a National level volleyball player and wanted to join the paramilitary forces.

In April 2011 when Arunima was traveling to Delhi to take her CISF examination, she met with the most tragic incident of her life. A gang of robbers who had entered the train got into physical combat with Arunima, pushing her out of the train, somewhere near Bareilly.

With severe injuries all over the body, Arunima was admitted at AIIMS, Delhi where her left leg was amputated to save her life. A Delhi-based company sponsored her prosthetic leg, while the Indian Sports Ministry announced a compensation of INR 2,00,000. Even though she was offered a job by the CISF and the Indian Railways Arunima could not accept the accident putting a stop to her dreams of mountaineering and becoming a famous sports personality of India.

During her treatment period, she gathered strength, courage, and motivation to scale Everest. And to fulfill this dream, she started her basic mountaineering course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi.

Reaching the Top

At a moment in life when one has lost all hopes of a future in sports, let alone mountaineering, Arunima's shining spirit was battling to keep hope. In 2011, as she was slowly moving towards recovery, she contacted Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to have climbed Mt. Everest.

The next year, when she was in a better physical condition, she started to pursue training under Pal at the Uttarkashi camp of the TSAF. As part of her golden mission, This Inspiring woman had to practice many smaller climbs. In April 2013, she reached the summit of Island Peak. On 31st March she started on her conquest to Everest and after 52 days of rigorous effort finally reached the peak in May 2013. She was lauded by the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav who bestowed an honor of Rs. 25 lakhs.

On the success of her Everest climb, Arunima, the famous Indian sports person became more determined to conquer all the seven highest peaks in the seven continents. By 2014, she had already covered the six, and in 2019 she completed the seventh peak, Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, making her the world's first female amputee to climb the peak.

Queen of the Hills

Arunima's grit and determination have taken her to a peak, that transcends the height of all mountains. She is recognized by the Limca Book of World records for her inspirational achievements. The story of her life fills one's heart with hope and aspiration. In the year 2013, she was honored with the Padma Shri. Needless to say that the climb to where she is standing today has been beset with unthinkable struggles and obstacles.

At a young age, she had to start giving up on sports, so that she could find a job to stand by her family. It was in the search of this opportunity of a potential job at CISF, that she boarded the train to Delhi. What happened, changed her life forever.

During her period at the hospital, the news of this famous Indian sportspersonality created a huge sensation in the media. The Sports Ministry conferred an amount as compensation and also guaranteed the best medical treatment for her. A rod fitted to her leg, she made her mind focused on the singular decision of climbing Everest.

Arunima in an interview recalls the unique problems that she would face during her climb. Her feet and ankle would often swivel resulting in a loss of grip for her. Seeing her in excruciating pain at times, even her Sherpa would feel this is only going to be a climb to death for her. Her power lay in her heart which was set on the conquest, and finally, she made it to the top of the world. In 2018, the mountaineer was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Britain.

The inspiration she is, Arunima has not only become one of the world's greatest sports personalities but also runs a charitable organization for underprivileged and handicapped children. She plans to go a long way in training these children in sports activities and her goal is she this organization shine as much as her achievements.