In 2011, at just 26 years old, Arunima Sinha’s life took a tragic turn when she lost one of her legs after being thrown from a moving train while resisting a group of robbers. What followed, however, was not a story of despair, but one of extraordinary courage, faith, and determination.
On 21 May, 2013, Arunima stood atop Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Against every imaginable odd, she transformed her pain into power and turned her artificial leg into a symbol of strength and divine will.
“I turned my artificial leg into my strength and stubbornly chose the most difficult sport for myself,” says Arunima, who was once a national-level volleyball player. Her journey stands as a living example of how human will, guided by inner faith, can move mountains.
She recalls the moment she reached the summit, “When I stood on top of the world, I wanted to scream to tell the world, here I am. That moment is forever etched in my heart. My voice may not have lasted long, but my spirit did.”
Two years before her triumph, she had faced what she called her darkest hour. After being pushed out of a moving train for refusing to give up her gold chain, she was left gravely injured. Doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee to save her life. “I was shattered,” she admits. “From being independent, I suddenly had to depend on others. But instead of drowning in pity, I decided to rise and do something that would inspire others.”
With her family’s support and divine grace as her guiding light, Arunima made a vow to conquer the world’s tallest peak. Soon after her recovery, she contacted Bachendri Pal, India’s first woman to climb Mount Everest, and joined her adventure foundation for training.
For a year, she trained rigorously in the Himalayan terrains of Uttarkashi, facing harsh weather and physical limitations. “There were days when I felt low because I couldn’t keep up with the others,” she says. “But I kept reminding myself that my journey had a purpose. Slowly, I outpaced them not with my legs, but with my will.”
After 52 days of enduring the biting cold and thin air, Arunima reached the summit of Mount Everest. Even when her oxygen ran low and her leader suggested she turn back, she refused. “I told myself, if I have come this far, I will finish this climb.”
Her descent, too, tested her strength to the limit. She recalls how sweat loosened her prosthetic leg, yet she kept moving, driven by sheer resolve and the faith that something greater was watching over her.
Today, Arunima dedicates her success to those who have lost hope. She dreams of opening a sports academy for underprivileged and differently-abled children in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, a place where dreams will be nurtured, and courage will be taught.
“I want to help children achieve their dreams,” she says softly. “That is my mission. That is my prayer.”
Her journey is more than an inspiring story to all the hikers!