'Have dream and zeal in life to achieve goal'

Arunima Sinha, India’s first woman to conquer Mount Everest on a prosthetic leg called upon the college students to have dream and zeal in life to achieve their goal. Along with the studies, the students should dream about their future life. 

Speaking at an interaction programme organised by Yuva Brigade  at Sanghaniketana on Friday, she said “courage, grit and determination will help in facing challenges without any problem. The students should inculcate value of determination in life and face the challenges with courage,” she said. 

She said “Swamy Vivekananda, Bachendri Pal (first woman to scale Mount Everest) and cricketer Yuvaraj Singh are my source of inspiration.” 

Sinha said: “Youth should not commit suicide over a trivial issue. Suicide is an act of coward. It is an attempt to move away from responsibilities.” 

Arunima lost her left leg after having been thrown off a moving train for resisting a chain-snatching attempt by some miscreants, said “an article on Mount Everest while I was in a hospital was turning point in my life.  

After reading the article, I was determined to scale the Everest. When I was in the hospital, everyone was worried about me, and I realised that I had to do something in my life. In fact during the training period, I had stopped talking to my mother, to ensure that I will not become emotional. I was not alone in my journey. I was carried away by my dream.” 

“Climbing the Everest was the culmination of a dream that I had dreamt as I was lying with an amputated leg at a hospital in New Delhi,” she said. 

To a query why she decided to scale Mt Everest even before recovering from the mishap, she said “iron can be moulded only when it is hot. When I was thrown off a train, I had made my mind to achieve something in life. If I delay then, I might become weak. By remembering the pain that I underwent while lying on the track, after I was thrown off the train, I scaled Mt Everest. My dream did not end here. I had decided to scale seven highest peaks in the world, of which I have already climbed four. I will scale a peak in Australia in October.” 

“My another dream is the setting up of a sports academy for the disabled. I had bought some land for the same. The academy will provide artificial limb for the handicapped kids.” 

Sinha’s brother Om Prakash who gave up his job with the CRPF to take care of his sister called upon the youth to respect women. “Woman is a source of strength,” he said.