The loss of a limb did not hinder Arunima Sinha from scaling the highest hurdles.
Arunima Sinha was the first female Indian amputee to scale the Mount Everest, a feat which she achieved on May 21, 2013.
As she lay in the hospital bed, with one leg amputated, Arunima Sinha took a vow that many would think impossible. Her goal, from that day onwards, was not just to become adept at walking with a prosthetic leg but scale the highest point in the world--Mount Everest.
It was a feat--which many would consider impossible--that not only brought back her self confidence but made her an inspiration for everyone back home. Even before the horrible accident which left her an amputee, Sinha was a force to reckon with.
As a national level volleyball player, she already was in possession of an indomitable spirit. When a few robbers pushed her out of a moving train in 2011, resulting in her getting seriously injured, she decided that she would not cower down but fight back. "I was an amputee now, and people were looking at me with pity in their eyes. I decided then and there that I would do something to prove myself. And mountaineering was the only option. It was the only option where there were no chances of saying sorry. If you committed a mistake, life would be the one saying sorry to you," she says.
and other mountaineers on the way to Mount Everest.
For the next two years, she trained continuously in mountain by Srijani Ganguly ous regions. There was "no Sunday, no Diwali and no Holi" for her. Nothing could waver her from her goal. Her first feat on the way to the summit was wrought with injury. She was so happy to have reached the base camp that she lost her balance and fell to the ground, injuring herself in the process. Mistakes, in fact, came and went on her way to the top.
There were many points in the trek where there were no ladders to support her to the other side of the wide gap. She was forced to, on such instances, jump across gaps which if she missed, would have ended her life. Once, she came across a point where her legs gave way.
A little ahead, the man--who was not wearing a helmet--was hit by a small icicle at the back of his head. He fell to the ground, bleeding from his head. "Anything can happen at anytime on the mountains," says Sinha while emphasising the fact that certain things like helmets and gloves are absolutely necessary while climbing.
It was something that the man shouldn't have compromised on. On the day she attempted to summit the Mount Everest, she and her sherpa were the first to leave the camp. But as time went by, they were overtaken by many.
Daylight too left them behind. When she and her sherpa were quite near the summit, her sherpa presented her with some bad news. Their oxygen levels were fast depleting, and they had to come back the next day for another attempt.
waving the Indian flag.
"I felt really bad at that time but I knew I couldn't go back. I told the sherpa I wouldn't, and even tried reasoning with him. When he refused to listen to me, I told him, 'Fine, if you want to come then come. Otherwise, I'll go on my own.' The moment I said those words, and placed a foot ahead, I found that my sherpa was right behind me. After that, he never left my side. Two hours later, we were at the peak," says Sinha.
She still can't fully explain that feeling, of spending those few six to seven minutes on the summit. "I felt like throwing my arms in the air and screaming," she says. "I wanted to tell everyone that I'm on top of the world, especially to those people who thought a woman and an amputee couldn't do it. I took off my mask and screamed, and my sherpa just stared at me."
It was here where she also had an epiphany of sorts. She thanked those who made fun of her and called her crazy. "I used to feel bad when people called me crazy, when I was on my hospital bed and planning to climb the Everest. But now when people call me crazy about my goals, I feel happy. Now I understand, if people say you are crazy about your goal that means your goal is very close."
Arunima Sinha has been featured as one of the 'People of the Year' in the 27th edition (2016) of Limca Book of Records.
0 Comments