Braveheart Sinha eyes bigger goals

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Arunima Sinha

Hers is a story of grit and determination.
Having lost her left leg after being thrown off a moving train in Bareilly two years ago, former national level volleyball player Arunima Sinha is now gearing up for a huge challenge. Arunima, who uses an artificial limb now, is ready to climb the world’s highest peak — Mount Everest.

In her expedition, Sinha will be accompanied by mountaineer Sushen Mahto, said Tata Steel vice-president (corporate services) Sajiv Paul in Jamshedpur.
The duo will start trekking in the Island peak for acclimatisation before setting out for the base camp, Paul said, adding that they are likely to begin the expedition in the second week of May.
Recollecting the tragic incident that changed her life, the Uttar Pradesh-based Sinha said she was pushed out of the general compartment of the Padmawati Express for resisting a chain-snatching attempt by hoodlums, while travelling from Lucknow to Delhi on April 12, 2011. As a result, she suffered a critical injury to the leg.
Arunima lost her leg after she underwent a surgery at the Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University in Lucknow as the doctors had to amputate to prevent the spread of infection. It was then, recalls Sinha, that she had decided to do something different and send out a message to the world that disability could not a hindrance in the path of success.
Sinha said her confidence got a boost when she met Bachendri Pal, the first woman to conquer Everest.