Arunima Sinha’s story of grit and conviction
Thrown out of a moving train after she resisted a group of chain-snatchers, as Arunima Sinha lay in a pool of blood by the railway tracks and battled life and death, she had not imagined that soon she would be on top of the world. Yet, less than two years later, she was — albeit on a prosthetic leg. Having successfully survived multiple life-threatening injuries in the aftermath of that incident, Arunima has become became the first differently-abled Indian woman to have scaled Mount Everest. Climbing the world's highest peak has always been a challenge for mankind — a challenge that calls into question every aspect of an individual's physical and mental being.
It is the ultimate test in endurance and skill, and even though it is hard to imagine how this could be turned into a more exacting experience, 25-year-old Arunima has done just that. However, having said this, it is only fair to mention that even though she is the only Indian to have accomplished this task with a prosthetic leg, Arunima is not the first physically challenged woman to make to the top. In October 2011, a 61-year-old American woman, Rhonda Graham, a left-leg amputee, climbed Mount Everest. This in no way diminishes Arunima’s spectacular achievement, and what makes her story particularly awesome is the manner in which she has overcome every single obstacle that life has thrown at her to literally make it to the top. She is an inspiration for all fellow Indians — and indeed for everyone else in the world.
Before she lost her leg, Arunima was a national-level volleyball player. She had represented the States of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and yet the Government had refused to acknowledge her as a professional athlete. But she was not one who could be put down so easily. In fact, she was travelling to appear for an interview for a CISF recruitment examination when the tragic incident changed the course of her life. Yet, Arunima refused to either give up or give in. She had not even fully recovered from her injuries and was in fact still in hospital when she decided that she would not spend the rest of her life being pitied or ridiculed by others. Instead, she set her eyes on the highest target that there is. And before long, Arunima was training under Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest. As they say, the rest is history.