Two years ago in April 2011,she lost her leg after she was pushed out of a moving train near Bareilly. Photos of her writhing in pain had evoked nationwide sympathy. Now,she is a picture of confidence personified. On her return to Lucknow after becoming the first woman amputee in the world to climb Mount Everest,the 25-year-old,who hails from Ambedkar Nagar district,is beaming with joy. When I left for the expedition,I had no record to make as such at the back of my mind. I just told myself that reaching the Everest was something which I had to do and there would be no second thought about it, she told The Indian Express. So why did she choose mountaineering? Because it is tough and challenging , she replied,and then added: I not only wanted to remove the bechaari feeling which I could read in many peoples eyes but also wanted to be a source of inspiration. There is a difference between pity and sympathy and I did not want anybody to feel pity at the fact that I did not have a leg. What was most disturbing was the fact that many people refused to accept that I had ever been a player. I was a sportsperson,I am a sportsperson and shall always be a sportsperson. I had participated at an inter-varsity meet at Chhattisgarh in volleyball and in football I had played in a national level school meet at Rewa," she said. For Arunima,cricketer Yuvraj Singh had been her source of inspiration. I thought that when Yuvraj could battle against cancer and join cricket again,why could I not conquer the Everest?. Bachendri Pal,the first Indian woman to climb Mt Everest,was another inspiration to her. With her support murda bhi uth ke khara ho jata hai' (even the dead can get up). She helped me a lot in my training at the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, she said. She aims to disclose her next mission very soon at Lucknow in the presence of Bachendri Pal.
