People like Arunima Sinha, who rise over adversity to shine even brighter, emerge even stronger, are an inspiration for us all and embody the never-say-die human spirit, says SD Thapliyal

Life is never easy. Ask Arunima Sinha, former national level volleyball player, who was pushed out of a running train by thieves in 2011 while resisting them. She sustained serious leg and pelvic injuries, and to save her life, doctors had to amputate her left leg.

Cut to May 21, 2013, when Sinha summited Mount Everest, becoming the first female amputee to climb the world’s highest mountain. A perfect example of turning scars into stars.

Yes, the 27-year-old lost her leg.But she didn’t lose her heart. Sinha decided that she would live her life with dignity and self-respect so that people don’t look at her with pity. Her lost leg could not restrict her to the wheelchair and she took a giant leap to climb Mount Everest. Legs can help someone climb mountains but it really works when you have the courage to attempt it – and what a brave heart she is.

Sinha turned her artificial leg into her strength and stubbornly chose the most difficult sport for herself.

That speeding train

Sinha was born in Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh in a lower-middle class family. She had qualified for the post of head constable in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). She had boarded the train from Lucknow to Delhi, where she was to attend a sports workshop. Then some hoodlums attempted to snatch her bag and chain. Recounting the incident, she says, “I resisted them and they pushed me out of the train. I could not even 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.”

The 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 doctors amputated it to save her life.

Her nightmare was not over, however. The period after that meant a series of humiliating instances; she was offered a compensation of Rs 25,000 by the Indian Sports Ministry, which had instigated national outrage.The then Sports Minister Ajay Maken announced an additional compensation of Rs 2,00,000 lakh as medical relief, together with a recommendation for a job in the CISF. Indian Railways offered her a job as well. Later she was brought to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for further treatment where she spent four months recovering. She was also provided a prosthetic leg free of cost by a private Delhi-based Indian company.

“I was in trauma and later I got to know that an inquiry by the police into the incident considered my version of the accident with doubt. According to the police, I was either attempting suicide or met with an accident while crossing the railway tracks,” she recounts. However, 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 Sinha. “I went to the court not for money, but for my respect. I was hurt physically, mentally and the behaviour and insensitivity of the police made it even worse. The Sports Authority of India was not even ready to acknowledge that I was a national level player,” says Sinha, her voice cracking a little.

She was asked to produce the certificate that could prove that she was a national player. “Has the SAI not maintained any records?” she questions, adding, “They were asking a bed-ridden athlete to produce her certificate to prove that she was a national player. Is this the way to treat athletes?”

Life ahead

She shares how it was shattering to hear such remarks about herself, but at the same time she decided that she would do something remarkable. “While I lay in the hospital bed, it struck me that I would climb Mount Everest. I was inspired by cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who has successfully battled cancer. I had lost everything – which meant I had to find it all again,” she says. Soon after Sinha got discharged from the hospital,she joined a mountaineering course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, and was encouraged by her elder brother Omprakash to try and summit the formidable mountain with a prosthetic leg. He contacted Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest, in 2011 and signed up for training under her at the Uttarkashi camp of the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) in 2012.

Under her guidance, she started her expedition. After a hard toil of 17 hours, Sinha reached the summit on 21 May 2013, as part of the Tata Group-sponsored Eco Everest Expedition, becoming the first female amputee to scale the mountain. It had taken her 52 days to complete the expedition.

From the top of the world

“Standing on the top of the world, I had finally turned my weakness into a winning force. Bachendri Pal had trained me for over a year and proved to be a great support in achieving my goal. I have also conquered Mt Elburs of Russia and Mount Kilimanjaro of Tanzania.

Sinha’s mission now is to conquer the rest of the four summits to become the first female amputee and the first Indian amputee to conquer all the seven summit of the world.

“I want to dedicate my achievements to those who lose hope, so that they never lose heart and achieve their dreams. By conquering all the seven summits I will prove that physical disability can never be a hindrance in achieving your life's goal if you have mental strength, strong will power and firm determination,” she feels.

Giving back

Sinha is also planning to open a sports academy for the poor and physically challenged children. For this purpose, she has already bought a piece of land in Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh. She says, “I want to offer training to them in sports and make them realise they too have potential to become achievers in life and become self-independent. Our academy will identify and train physically-challenged people and encourage their participation in national and international events.” The academy “Chandra Shekhar Azad Viklaang Khel Academy” will help them in their physical and social development.

No sympathy, please

“I was shattered after the train incident. Just a day before that, I was an independent young woman and now I was dependent on others for support. Visitors who came to see me at the hospital showed sympathy. It was then that I decided to do something to inspire others,” said Sinha. She adds how her family’s support gave her immense confidence.

Any regrets about the train incident? Would she resist the thieves again? “I will fight for my right and what I believe to be mine. Middle-class people have a right to live their lives with dignity. I have nothing to fear. Having said that however, I do regret one thing; if people who were in the train would have helped me, I could have averted that incident. I guess it was my destiny.”