ஒரு அசாதாரணப் பெண்: அருணிமா

சமீபத்தில் பரோடா ராமகிருஷ்ண மிஷன் மடத்தில் சுவாமி விவேகானந்தரின் 150 பிறந்த விழாவை, இரண்டு நாள் சர்வ தேச இளைஞர்கள் மகாநாடாகக் கொண்டாடினார்கள். 24 நாடுகளிலிருந்து பிரதிநிதிகள் வந்திருந்தனர். முன்னாள் குடியரசுத்தலைவர் அப்துல் கலாம் அவர்கள் அதில் உரை நிகழ்த்தினார்.
அமெரிக்காவிலிருக்கும் என் பேத்தி அருந்ததி அதில் கலந்து கொண்டாள். (அவள் ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமைகளில் நியூ ஜெர்சியில் உள்ள விவேகானந்தா வித்யாபீட் என்ற, இந்திய கலாசாரத்தை  போதிக்கும் பள்ளியில் பயில்கிறாள். அந்த அமைப்பிலிருந்து சுமார் 60 பேர்  (மாணவர்கள்+பெற்றோர்+ஆசிரியர்கள்) மகாநாட்டில் கலந்து கொண்டார்கள்.(ஆசிரியர்கள் எல்லாரும் தொண்டு பணி புரிபவர்கள். யாரும் சம்பளம் வாங்குவதில்லை!)
விவேகானந்தரின்  பிறந்தநாள்  விழாவில் பலர் உரை ஆற்றினார்கள். அவர்களில்,  அருணிமா சின்கா எனும் 25 வயது பெண்மணியும் ஒருவர்.  அவர் எவரஸ்ட் சிகரத்திற்குப் போய் வந்த வீராங்கனை.  எந்த ஒரு பெண்ணிற்கும் இது பெரிய சாதனைதான். அருணிமாவைப் பொறுத்த வரை இதை அசாதாரணமான சாதனை என்றுதான் கூறவேண்டும். காரணம், அவருக்கு ஒரு கால் கிடையாது! செயற்கைக் கால்தான்!
அருணிமா கால்களை இழந்தது எப்படி என்று துவங்கி,  மெய்சிலிர்க்கும் தகவல்கள் பலவற்றை என் பேத்தி அருந்ததி (வயது:15) என்னிடம் கூறினாள். அவளிடம். “நீயே ஒரு கட்டுரை எழுதிக் கொடு. என் பிளாக்கில் ஒரு பதிவாகப் போட்டு விடுகிறேன்” என்றேன்.
அருந்ததி   ஆர்வத்துடன் எழுதிக் கொடுத்த, நம்மை நெகிழ வைக்கும். அந்த ஆங்கிலக் கட்டுரை இதோ!

Arunima Sinha – An Inspiring Story
by Arundhati Johri

         Have you ever wondered what it would be like to climb Mt. Everest?

How about with an amputated leg?

Arunima Sinha, (25) the first lady in the world to climb Mt. Everest with an amputated leg, has an inspiring story behind her success.

            While aboard a train travelling from Lucknow to Delhi on the 11th of April, 2011, for an interview, she was threatened by a band of dacoits. The robbers had entered her train car, and were robbing and injuring the passengers.
Arunima resisted the robbers when they attempted to take her gold chain. In anger, they picked her up and threw her out the train, on to the adjacent railway tracks below. Unfortunately, a train was coming her way! The train ran over her leg. As she lay injured between the tracks, Arunima frantically called for help and screamed and screamed. To her dismay, no help came to her aid, as it was 1:00 a.m. in the morning. Forty-nine more trains passed over her all night long. “Yes,  I counted” she says!

            Early the next morning, Arunima was spotted and heard by the local villagers. They immediately rushed her to a local hospital. Unfortunately, doctors had no other go butto amputate one of her legs. She had multiple broken bones, as well as other minor injuries.

            During her time at the hospital, Arunima made one goal: it was to climb Mt. Everest.  That goal slowly grew in her mind, and overtook all her thoughts and subsequent actions.

            Straight from the hospital with an artificial leg  she went,  not to her parents house, but to Jamshedpur to meet Bachendri Pal, the first Indian lady to climb Mt. Everest. Arunima sought her guidance to begin the arduous training of first learning to walk with an artificial leg, and then learning to climb mountains. Through pain and perseverance, but always keeping her goal in mind, Arunima gained strength for mountaineering.

During Arunima’s trip to Baroda, she was encouraged to visit the Ramakrishna Center. There, she meditated deeply and felt uplifted by the experience. She met with Swami Nikhileshwarananda, the head of the Ramakrishna Center in Baroda. He heard Arunima’s story, and encouraged her to achieve her goal.

            Swamiji gave her books and photos of Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna, and Sri Sarada Devi - all that would help her feel happy and encouraged whenever doubts came into her. When Swamiji heard that Arunima planned to scale the mountain with just the artificial leg she was wearing, he quickly pooled money donated by disciples for her to get a second leg as a backup.

            Her family was very supportive of her – especially her brother, who took premature retirement from the military to support her and raise funds for her trip!  On 1st April 2013, barely two years after the train accident, Arunima began her expedition!

            During Arunima’s climb, she and her Sherpa had to go through many hardships such as blinding blizzards, and steep inclines. Her artificial leg broke at one point. Swamiji’s forethought in providing for a second artificial leg saved her trip. She continued the climb.

Arunima Sinha was within 800 meters of the summit of Mt. Everest when she realized her oxygen was running low! Her base camp control person radioed her to turn back. Her Sherpa warned her of the dangers of proceeding without sufficient oxygen for her return. As she had approached the summit, dead bodies had lined the path, of explorers who had given up, or whose oxygen had run out. She was fully aware of the risk of proceeding. But, her inner strength compelled her to proceed. 

Suddenly, one of the climbers in the expedition gave up, decided to turn back, and discarded a completly full oxygen tank in the snow.

This was the hand of God!

         Arunima took the oxygen cylinder, and reached the top of Mt. Everest. It was the 21st of May, 2013. She had achieved! 

            Swami Nikhileshwarananda had asked her to place a photo of Swami Vivekananda at the summit of Mt. Everest. Instead, she placed the photos of Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna, and Sri Sarada Devi at the top!  Arunima Sinha was the first lady amputee in the world to ever climb Mt. Everest.

Hearing the story from Arunima herself at the International Youth Conference held at Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Baroda  in August 2013, moved me tremendously. It inspired me to believe that anything is within my reach, as long as I put my mind to it.