There are stories that speak to the mind—and then there are stories like Arunima Sinha’s, that speak to the soul.
In a country where countless women fight silent battles every day, Arunima’s journey doesn’t just inspire—it ignites. It reminds us that no wound is deep enough to bury a dream, and no fall is final unless we choose not to rise.
Table of Contents
The Fall That Changed Everything
In 2011, Arunima Sinha, a national-level volleyball player, boarded a train bound for Delhi, never knowing that within minutes, her life would hang between life and death. She was pushed out by thieves for resisting a robbery attempt. The train crushed her leg. She lay bleeding on the tracks all night, helpless, broken—but not defeated.
That night, under the stars and surrounded by silence and pain, Arunima made a decision that changed her life—and countless others’. She would climb Mount Everest.
Think about that for a moment.
A woman, just 24, with one leg amputated, still bandaged and reeling from trauma, declared her dream to scale the world’s highest peak. Many called her mad. But what they didn’t realize was that madness is often just unshakable belief in a world too scared to try.
🏔️ Mountains Climbed by Arunima Sinha
Arunima Sinha’s mountaineering journey is one of unmatched courage, endurance, and grit. After losing her left leg in a brutal train accident, instead of falling into despair, she set an extraordinary goal — to climb Mount Everest and inspire others with disabilities to dream big. She not only achieved that but went on to conquer six more of the highest peaks in the world, becoming a global symbol of perseverance.
✅ Seven Summits Completed by Arunima Sinha
Arunima Sinha not just climbed Mount Everest, but successfully climbed mountains on all seven continents — completing the prestigious “Seven Summits Challenge”.
The Seven Summits refer to the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, and conquering all of them is considered one of the most elite achievements in mountaineering.
1. Mount Everest (Asia) – 8,848 m
Date: 21 May 2013
- She became the first female amputee in the world to climb Mount Everest.
- Completed after 52 days of expedition through treacherous icefalls, blizzards, and oxygen-starved altitudes.
- Trained under Bachendri Pal, India’s first woman Everest summiteer.
2. Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa) – 5,895 m
Date: May 2014
- Located in Tanzania, Africa’s tallest mountain.
- Climbing it with a prosthetic leg required tremendous balance and stamina on rocky terrain.
3. Mount Elbrus (Europe) – 5,642 m
Date: July 2014
- The highest peak in Europe, located in Russia.
- Known for its harsh winds and subzero temperatures.
4. Mount Kosciuszko (Australia) – 2,228 m
Date: April 2015
- Though smaller in height, the challenge was navigating terrain with a prosthetic on unfamiliar trails.
5. Mount Aconcagua (South America) – 6,961 m
Date: December 2015
- Argentina’s highest peak and the highest outside of Asia.
- Extremely difficult due to high altitudes and rough winds.
6. Mount Carstensz Pyramid (Oceania) – 4,884 m
Date: 2016
- Located in Papua province of Indonesia, it involves vertical rock climbing and heavy rainfall.
7. Mount Vinson (Antarctica) – 4,892 m
Date: 2019
- The final summit of her “Seven Summits Challenge”.
- Harshest weather conditions — icy winds, -30°C temperatures, and complete isolation.
Significance:
- She is among the very few amputees in the world to complete the Seven Summits.
- First female amputee globally to achieve this feat.
- Represents India in the rare league of mountaineers to conquer all seven.
🌟 How Challenging It Was – And Why She Never Gave Up
🩺 Physical Struggles
- Arunima had a steel rod inserted in her right leg and a prosthetic left leg.
- Extreme cold made the prosthetic painful; it would bruise and cut her skin, sometimes causing bleeding.
- Carrying a 20+ kg backpack, oxygen cylinders, ropes, and gear over glaciers and rocky ridges added pressure on her single natural leg.
🧠 Mental & Emotional Battles
- Facing mockery, disbelief, and discouragement from people who thought she was chasing the impossible.
- Battling post-traumatic stress from the train accident, and the emotional pain of societal rejection.
- At many points, especially during Everest, she considered turning back — but reminded herself of the millions of disabled people watching her as a beacon of hope.
💬 Her Words That Inspire
“I wasn’t climbing a mountain. I was climbing every moment that told me I couldn’t.”
“I wanted to prove that being physically challenged does not mean being mentally weak.”
🔥 The Inner Fire That Drove Her
- A promise to herself that she would not let her life end in pity or silence.
- Her vision to inspire and uplift every person with disability, trauma, or loss.
- She saw the mountain not as a summit to win, but a stage to prove that pain can be transformed into power.
Climbing More Than Mountains
In May 2013, Arunima Sinha became the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest. But the summit wasn’t just a personal victory. It was a message. A roar from the rooftop of the world:
“I may have lost a leg, but I have found my voice.”
And with that voice, she began empowering others—especially women.
She wasn’t interested in just becoming a symbol. She wanted to build something that lasts. And so, she founded the Arunima Foundation and later, the Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Azad Divyang Khel Academy, where underprivileged and differently-abled youth—are trained in sports, given prosthetics, education, and something much more precious: self-belief.
Where others saw pity, Arunima saw potential.
From Survivor to Sisterhood
In dusty villages and narrow alleyways, where girls are told to shrink, behave, and blend in, Arunima walks in with crutches and medals, with a story stitched in steel. She tells them:
“You are not weak. The world just hasn’t seen your strength yet.”
To girls who’ve been told their bodies are broken, she teaches movement.
To women who’ve been silenced, she gives the microphone.
To daughters who were told they’re a burden, she says: You are the fire.
Her journey isn’t just her own anymore—it belongs to every woman who dares to rise.
An Everest in Every Woman
Arunima doesn’t measure achievement in applause or awards. For her, success is the girl in a wheelchair who smiles for the first time. The teenage amputee who now dreams of playing for India. The mother who walks into the foundation’s gates ashamed and walks out with her head held high.
She empowers through empathy.
She uplifts through action.
She leads by simply living her truth—loud, proud, and unafraid.
Arunima Sinha’s Personal Life and Family Support
Arunima Sinha was born on 20 July 1989 in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, into a modest middle-class family. Her father was an engineer in the Indian Army, and her mother, Gyan Bala, a health supervisor. Arunima lost her father at the age of three, and her mother single-handedly raised her and her siblings with strength and values.
During her darkest hour of train accident, her family stood like a rock beside her—especially her mother, who played a pivotal role in emotionally supporting her during her long recovery and rehabilitation.
Arunima is not married and does not have children. She has chosen to dedicate her life to social work, motivational speaking, and training women and differently-abled people. Her journey is an embodiment of inner strength, self-reliance, and determination.
Key Support Systems:
- Mother Gyan Bala: Her constant support and motivation.
- Brother Omprakash: Helped her during treatment and travels post-accident.
- Family support: Played a key role in her mental recovery.
- Mentorship by Bachendri Pal: India’s first woman to scale Mount Everest, who inspired and guided Arunima through mountaineering training.
Today, Arunima runs the “Arunima Foundation”, works toward uplifting the differently-abled, and is an inspiration to millions for rising stronger after unimaginable trauma.
Arunima Sinha’s Social Work & Arunima Foundation: A Legacy of Empowerment
After becoming the world’s first female amputee to scale Mount Everest in 2013, Arunima Sinha didn’t stop at personal victory—she turned her pain into purpose. Deeply moved by the suffering of others like her, she resolved to uplift and empower differently-abled individuals, underprivileged children, and women who are battling societal and physical limitations.
🌟 Arunima Foundation: Vision & Mission
Founded in 2015, the Arunima Foundation (also referred to as Dr. Arunima Sinha Foundation) is a registered charitable trust with the core belief that disability is not inability, and everyone deserves dignity, opportunity, and hope.
🧭 Mission:
“To transform lives by providing physical, emotional, educational, and vocational support to the disabled, underprivileged, and disaster-affected, especially women and children.”
🎯 Vision:
To create a society where the disabled are self-reliant, skilled, respected, and included in mainstream development.
💠 Key Initiatives & Impact Areas
1. 🧍♀️ Empowering the Differently-Abled
- The foundation trains physically challenged individuals in sports, self-defense, yoga, and survival skills.
- Provides prosthetics, mobility aids, and emotional support for accident survivors, particularly amputees.
- Regular counseling sessions for trauma victims—especially those with suicidal thoughts post-accident.
2. 🎓 Education & Skilling for Underprivileged
- Arunima’s foundation provides free education, books, uniforms, and digital literacy to children from poor backgrounds, especially in rural and tribal areas.
- Vocational training for disabled youth and women in tailoring, computer skills, and crafts to enable financial independence.
3. 🛠️ Skill Centres & Residential Training Programs
- Plans to build a residential sports academy for the disabled, with facilities for mountaineering, athletics, and adventure sports.
- Offers life-skills training and confidence-building modules for acid attack survivors, rape victims, and widows.
4. 🌱 Women Empowerment
- Special focus on training widows and domestic violence survivors in self-defense and entrepreneurship.
- Women are mentored in public speaking, leadership, and motivation, using Arunima’s story as a model.
5. 🚑 Disaster Relief & Community Aid
- During natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation organized food drives, medical kits, and support for frontline workers.
- Also distributes wheelchairs, hearing aids, artificial limbs, and other assistive devices in collaboration with hospitals and NGOs.
🤝 Collaborations & Support
- Collaborates with Bachendri Pal’s Tata Adventure Foundation, sports councils, and disability rights organizations.
- Supported by corporates, public donors, and social workers, the foundation continues to grow through goodwill and Arunima’s unbreakable reputation.
🧗♀️ Beyond Philanthropy – Inspiration in Action
- Arunima often visits schools, jails, cancer wards, and rehab centers to give motivational talks.
- She believes “you don’t need two legs to stand tall, just courage.”
- Her speeches are now part of empowerment seminars, TEDx, UN events, and school syllabi.
📌 Current Goals of the Foundation:
- Build a fully equipped residential facility and sports training center for the disabled.
- Expand rural outreach to help one lakh+ physically challenged individuals in the next 5 years.
- Develop an online portal for career counseling and free tele-counseling for trauma victims.
🏅 Major Awards & Honors of Arunima Sinha
🇮🇳 1. Padma Shri (2015)
- India’s fourth-highest civilian award.
- Conferred by the Government of India for her extraordinary achievement in sports and her contribution to inspiring persons with disabilities.
- Given by then President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
🗻 2. Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award (2015)
- India’s highest recognition in the field of adventure sports.
- Given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for her feat of scaling Mount Everest as an amputee.
- Acknowledged her endurance, courage, and mountaineering skill.
💬 3. Honorary Doctorate by University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (2018)
- Conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.).
- For her pioneering achievements and role in inspiring millions worldwide.
🌍 4. Listed Among ‘100 Most Inspirational Women’ by BBC (2014)
- Selected in BBC’s 100 Women List, honoring women making significant impact globally.
- Celebrated for breaking stereotypes and leading social change after disability.
🕊️ 5. UN Women Empowerment Icon (Recognized at International Platforms)
- Invited by United Nations, and various international forums.
- Recognized for her advocacy on women’s empowerment, disability rights, and mental strength.
🏅 6. Arjuna Award – Nomination & Recommendation
- While not confirmed as a recipient, her name was officially recommended for the Arjuna Award for her contribution to Indian sports as a differently-abled athlete.
📚 Other Honours and Recognitions
- National Role Model Award (2016) – By the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Special Achievement Award (2013).
- Rotary International Vocational Excellence Award – For social service and leadership.
- Women of Substance Award – Honoring her story of resilience and transformation.
- Limca Book of Records – For being the first female amputee in the world to scale Mount Everest.
- Youth Icon Awards – By several universities and youth groups across India.
- Recognized by PM Narendra Modi – Featured in his “Mann Ki Baat” as a symbol of women’s strength.
🧗♀️ A Living Legend
Arunima’s achievements are now part of school textbooks in some Indian states. She’s invited to universities, TEDx talks, Army academies, and rehabilitation centers as a speaker who changes lives with her story.
🌟 Legacy of Arunima Sinha
Arunima Sinha’s legacy goes far beyond climbing mountains — she elevated the spirit of millions. From a national athlete to a train accident survivor, and then becoming the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest, she redefined what it means to be unstoppable. Her courage lit a path for disabled individuals, women, and trauma survivors to reclaim their strength. Through her foundation, she continues to empower the marginalised, proving that a setback is a setup for a greater comeback.
She leaves behind not just footprints on snowy peaks, but a trail of hope, healing, and heroism.
✅ Call to Action
🔹 Support Arunima Foundation – Donate, volunteer, or partner to help empower the disabled and underprivileged.
🔹 Share Her Story – Spread awareness and inspire others by sharing her journey on social media or blogs.
🔹 Invite Her to Speak – Host Arunima for motivational talks in schools, corporates, and institutions.
🔹 Be Inspired – Take that first step toward your own summit. Let Arunima’s legacy ignite your purpose.
💬 “If Arunima can conquer Everest with one leg, what’s stopping you from climbing your own?”
Watch the video on Arunima Sinha’s story in Hindi here. Read more brave stories on women empowerment here.