India’s first female amputee mount climber
Written by: Taniya Sharma from B.voc (Mass-communication) 5th sem.
Arunima Sinha is the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest. She was born 21 July 1988 in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. Her husband’s name is Shree Gaurav Singh he is a shooter. She does charity work in Arunima Foundation. She is a Motivational Speaker and National Level Volleyball Player. Arunima Sinha gets job in CISF. Sinha, a former national volleyball and football player. She boarded the Padmavati Express Train at Lucknow for Delhi on 21 April 2011, to take an examination to join the CISF.
Arunima Sinha has Padma Shri and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2015, 2016, she has First Lady Award in 2018 and so many award like University of Strathclyde Glasgow, United Kingdom, Honoring Award Doctorate Degree on 6 November 2018. In 2011 she was pushed from a running train by some robbers. While she was resisting them. As a result, one of her legs had to be amputated below the knee.
Her aim was to climb all the continents highest peaks and hoist the national flag of India. She has already done six peaks: Everest in Asia, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in Australia, Aconcagua in Argentina and Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.
After the train accident she said:
“I resisted and they pushed me out of the train. I could not move. I remember seeing a train coming towards me. I tried getting up. By then, the train had run over my leg. I don’t remember anything after that.”
Immediately, as she fell on the railway track, another train on a parallel track crushed her leg below the knee. She was rushed to the hospital with serious leg and pelvic injuries, and lost her leg after doctor amputated it and save her life.
She was offered compensation of 25,000 by the Indian Sport Ministry. Following national outrage, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Ajay Maken announced as media relief, together with a recommendation for a job in the CISF. Indian Railways also offered her a job.
On 18 April 2011, she was brought to the All India Institute of Medical Science for further treatment, she spend four months in the institute. She was provided a prosthetic leg free of cost by a private Delhi-Based Indian Company.
An inquiry by the police into the incident threw her version of the accident into doubt. According to the police, she was attempting suicide or met with an accident while crossing the railway tracks.
Arunima claimed that the police were lying contrary to the police claims the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court ordered Indian Railways to pay a compensation of rs.5, 00,000 to Arunima Sinha.
While still being treated in the All India Institute of Medical Science, she resolved to climb Mount Everest. She was inspired by the cricketer Yuvraj Singh {who had successfully battled cancer} and other television show, “To do something” with her life.
She excelled in the basic mountaineering course from the Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, and was encourage by her elder brother Omprakash to climb Everest. She climbed Mount Everest with a prosthetic leg, which was arranged by raising funds with the help of swami of Ramakrishna Mission, Vadodara.
Achievement Story
She was contacted by Bachendri Pal the First Indian Woman to Climb the Mount Everest, in 2011 by telephone and signed up for training under her at the Uttarkashi camp of the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation {TSAF} 2012.
Sinha climbed Island Peak {6150 meters} in 2012 as preparation for her ascent of Everest.
Sinha and Susan Mahout, a USAF instructor, who had together climb Mount Chaser Sangria {6,622 meters or 21,726} in 2012 under the guidance of Hendrick Pal started their ascent of Mount Everest. After a hard tail of 17 hours, Sinha reached the summit of Mount Everest at 10:55 am on 21 may 2013, as part of the Tata Group sponsored Eco Everest Expendition, becoming the first female amputee to scale Everest.
She took 52 days to reach the summit. She wrote a small message thanking the Almighty on a wrapped cloth and pressed it in the snow. Recounting the incident, she said: “It was my tribute to Shankara Bhagawan, and Swami Vivekananda who has been inspiration throughout my life.”
Uttar Pradesh’s then- incumbent chief minister Akhilesh Yadav honoured Arunima and handed over two cheques for an amount of rs.25 lakh in a function organised at her residence in Lucknow. This included a cheque of rs.20 lakh from the state government and a cheque of rs.5 lakh on behalf of the Samajwadi Party. Chief Minister said Sinha by her hard word and determination had climbed the Mount Everest and created history.
She was congratulated by the Indian Sports Minister Jitendra Singh on her achievement.
Today’s Life of India’s first female amputee mount climber
Arunima Sinha is now dedicated towards social welfare and wants to open a free sports academy for the poor and differently abled people. She is donating all the financial aids she is getting through awards and seminars for the same cause. The academy would be named Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Vikalang Khel Academy.
She wrote the book”Born again on the mountain”, launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in December 2014.
She was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2015. She is awarded by Tenzing Norgay Highest Mountaineering Award in India same as Arjun Award.
