Arunima Sinha, a former national-level volleyball player, defied all odds to become the first woman from India to conquer Mount Everest with a prosthetic leg
When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest 60 years ago in 1953, it was a feat that had never been achieved before. Recently, Japan?s Yuichiro Miura became the oldest man to conquer the Everest at 80. Joining these illustrious ranks is Uttar Pradesh?s 26-year-old Arunima Sinha. A former national-level volleyball player, Sinha became the first woman with a prosthetic leg from India to conquer the majestic Everest on May 21.?My mind and body were occupied only by thought of climbing the Everest as this is the highest feat one can achieve. I wanted to choose the toughest game of all,? she says. Aided by three Sherpas from Asian Trekking, which provides all kinds of logistical support and guiding services to trekkers, it took Sinha 52 days to reach the summit. This week also marked the 60th anniversary of the first successful attempt by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The proverb, ?Where there is a will, there is a way?, could encapsulate Sinha?s life. A resident of Uttar Pradesh?s Ambedkar Nagar, she was pushed out of the Padmawati Express for resisting a chain-snatching attempt on April 12, 2011. Hit by a passing train, she was hospitalised with grave leg and pelvic injuries. In a bid to save her life, doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee. ?When I was at AIIMS, everyone was worried for me,? she says. ?I then realised I had to do something in life that would make people stop looking at me with pity in their eyes.?
Sinha could have easily chosen to become a para-athlete, but she chose mountaineering because ?it was the toughest of them all?. ?One day, I read a report in newspapers about people scaling Mount Everest. I spoke to my brother about it and he encouraged me to try it,? she says.
Since March 3 last year, Sinha has been under the guidance of mountaineer Bachendri Pal, undergoing rigorous training sessions at the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation in Jamshedpur. Talking about her expedition to the Everest, Sinha says, ?I had problems because of my artificial leg. While on expedition, there was a time when the gel in my leg slipped out and there was blood. However, I took my time and started again.?
Besides family, Sinha?s inspiration has been cricketer Yuvraj Singh. ?When I was training for this expedition, I used to think of Yuvraj Singh. If he can battle cancer and play for India again, why can?t I climb the Everest??
Till this date, over 4,000 people have climbed the peak. Sixty-one-year-old American Rhonda Graham climbed the summit in October 2011 with a prosthetic leg and in 2006, New Zealand?s Mark Inglis became the first person with two prosthetic legs to reach the summit. This year alone, more than 500 people have reached the summit, including Sinha. With more and more people from all walks of life seeking to reach the top, it seems that scaling Mount Everest is no longer a feat only for professional mountaineers. But Sinha disagrees. Calling it the toughest ?game? in the world, she says, ?It is only will power and determination that can help one conquer the Everest. You have to go there to see and face the difficulties. There is nothing bigger than this.?
Sinha is now busy setting up her sports academy for the handicapped and poor in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. The academy, for which construction is on in full swing, is being set up with the money she received from the government after her train accident.
Sinha had earlier passed a written test and skill abilities exam of the Central government and qualified for an appointment as head constable in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Reportedly, the CISF is now considering appointing her as an assistant sub-inspector. However, Sinha is not ready to drop anchor yet. She would like to go on an expedition to Mount Everest again if provided with the needed support, she says.