Her’s is a story of guts and determination. Arunima Sinha, a 26-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, fought off chain-snatchers on the Moradabad-New Delhi train, but in the process, she was thrown off the train at Bareilly.
Arunima lost both her legs as a speeding train on the adjacent track could not stop. The fall also fractured her spine and Arunima went blank.
“I was not the one to suffer in silence or lie back and rue my fate. I wanted to fight the odds and the cruel twist of fate. I was determined to stand on my legs once again, if I could,” says the young lady.
“Hailing from a middle class family there were lots of problems. But with the support of family and friends, I overcame them all. Today, I can proudly state that my self confidence is sky-high,” says the chirpy Arunima.
Joining the General Thimmaiah National Academy of Adventure (GETHNAA) in Bangalore proved to be a masterstroke and mountaineering became her passion. Today, three years after her tragic accident, Arunima has conquered three of the highest peaks in Asia (Mt. Everest), Africa (Mt. Kilimanjaro), and Europe (Mt. Elbrus) and is all set to scale Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia next month.
“I am training hard for the challenge ahead and am thankful to the Karnataka government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Sports Minister Abhay Chandra Jain for making it possible with timely financial assistance.”
The State government is supporting Arunima with Rs. 6 lakhs to enable her to achieve her dream of climbing yet another peak on her artificial legs. Good luck, Arunima!
