A senior member of national volleyball team, she had become a handicap thanks to a robbery incident in a train. But Arunima Sinha never lost hope and became the first female amputee to scale Mt Everest. Abhishek Purohit talks to her
What prompted you to take up this challengeIJ
When I went from Delhi to Jamshedpur to meet Bachendri (Pal) ma’m, I was shocked to see that I was sitting on a bogey meant for handicaps. It was really tough experiencing those moments. Then, I decided to do something which will be an inspiration for handicap people and others.
When you decided to take up mountaineering, what were the initial difficulties that you facedIJ
Walking on prosthetic legs was not at all easy. I started training on March 3 last year at Uttarakashi. After performing well in various practice sessions, though being quite slow compared to normal people, I was selected to scale Everest. Now the real challenge was scaling 8,848 metre high summit. There was danger on every move. You need to have the technical knowledge as well. Making best usage of oxygen is extremely important. One need to plan well for things like how to move and when to halt. It has four bases and before the summit, fourth base falls. I halted for some times at South summit and thereafter 26 hours of non-stop walking before reaching the summit.
pWhat was you feeling when you reached the top of Mt EverestIJ
My partner Nima Karsha guided me throughout the 52-day journey. We reached at the morning and I was thrilled. I wanted to scream to make people know that I am on top of the world. The scene from the top was beautiful. With cloud looming large at us from a close range, the sun peeking was a wonderful sight. I stayed their for 15 minutes and we returned.
What kind of problems did you face during the expeditionIJ
The return has its own destiny. What many people do is - they put maximum effort on going up. But while coming down they flounder. I was aware of that. However, some problems did appear. My left leg had taken a hit and due to extreme sweating, the gel inside the prosthetic cover slipped out, resulting in bleeding. At that point of time, I rode on my spirit and determination. I felt it. But, I could not dare to either remove my gloves or bare my leg as it could have led to severe frost bites. I dragged myself to a rocky shade and fixed it. I faced many hurdles. But, the obstacles never overpowered me. My other partner, Susen Mahto’s of Jharkhand also helped a lot.
What are your future plansIJ
I want to start a sports academy for handicapped and poor children. I have bought the land from the money I have got from various sources. I will be having a sports academy at Unnao for handicap children and poor boys and girls. If the kids from my academy do something special at the world level and win medals, I feel that my dreams of becoming a top volleyball player, will be fulfilled in other ways.