Born Again on the Mountain: a story of losing everything and finding it back

by Arunima Sinha

National-level volleyball player Arunima Sinha was shoved off a moving train by thieves. The accident cost the twenty-four-year-old her left leg and sporting career, but it never deterred her. Two years later she retrained as a mountaineer and became the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest. This is her unforgettable story.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Sports, Biography Memoir, Feminism, Self Help

217 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Akansha Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must accept, reading Born Again on the Mountain, has created a sense of hope that anyone can achieve anything in life, you have the guts to dream of the impossible and put in all you have got to achieve it. Also this book enlightens you philosophically about how life can change in just a moment and how everything which seemed in place right a moment before was not possible later. This is a book I think everyone must read, so that they can understand their gifted abilities when compared to the disabled and use them to achieve their ambitions.

[Jimish Parekh · Rating 4 out of 5]

a true inspiration is what I got from book. her statement on the top of the world 'I firmly believe that if you have set your mind to achieve something, you should pursue it. nothing is impossible for a truly determined person...'
on a personal note, I too feel connection having a bad phase like not able to walk for 6months and now a proud half marathon finisher 😇

[Sankalpita (bookGeeks India) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed review - https://www.bookgeeks.in/born-again-m...

[Ranjana Hegade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woman of steel.
Easy read. Worth the time.

[Ayushi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot stop applauding this book! It is definitely one of the most realistic, wholesomely inspiring and one of the most beautifully written books I have read so far. Arunima Sinha is one strong woman who never gives up, THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU FEEL THAT STRENGTH!
This book will leave you in tears, happy tears to be exact. The first few chapters of the book give harrowing detail of the tragedy that Ms Arunima faced, but they also introduce you to her ferocious courage and indomitable will. It will inspire you so much that you will learn to never give up, just like this awesome lioness, Arunima Sinha!
Please grab this book and read it. It is such a wonderful book that you would want to pick it up and read it again and again when you feel low in life. It will recharge you and fill you with will and courage!

[Neetu Dhanjani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational !!!

[Guruprasad · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an Inspirational life story of an Indian Girl , who defeated death more than once with her courage and Hope . This Needs to be read by all School students as part of Moral Studies .

[Venkatakrishnan Ramesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Born again on the Mountain” book made me experience Arunima’s struggle and her will power. She is simply just motivating. I got a refreshing energy and feel motivated. I was not reading book for long time, this made me restart my book reading journey.

[Karan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha

I remember the time in 2011 when the name of Arunima was all over the news, be it be on all major news channels or front pages of all national newspapers. At that time I was disgusted by the event but I never expected her to rise from the ashes so when the news sources in 2013 again focused on her conveying that she had climbed Mount Everest and that to do as the first woman amputee I was struck amazed.

This book is a memoir of how Arunima went from being lying on a rail track with her left leg being run over by a train to conquering the highest mountain in the world. It proves that the widely believed claim that women are weak is incorrect. One more argument for this is that she had amputation surgery without any anesthesia. Just the thought of it sends chills down my spine.

Despite the mysterious death of her father and the murder of her brother in her childhood, Sinha family never lost their will to fight. This is also true after the incident. Rather than giving up after losing the leg, each and every member of the Sinha family fought back in their own ways. A prime role in this fight was of Arunima’s sister’s husband Om Prakash(or Sahib) who work(ed) at CRPF. Due to being in paramilitary forces, he was rough and tough but surprisingly also very wise. He planted the idea to climb Mount Everest and was also there to help at every point. Another such character was Bachendri Pal who was very encouraging and needs no introduction being the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest.

This memoir takes us from Bareilly, where the incident happened, to famous places like Delhi and Ladakh, and to secluded places like Gaumukh, and of course Kathmandu. It even includes Namche Bazar, which the book claimed is the highest market. Not only places, but it also mention some great characters as well such as Mr. Yadav Ji(who also selflessly donated blood), Dr. Rakesh who had same experience as of Arunima(leg being run over by a train) but did not let it shatter him and became a doctor specialized in artificial limb, and even some Saints(or Babas).

Arunima is a stronger believer in God and not wrongly so. There were many close calls while training, may it be falling off a cliff or crumbling down with a glacier. It was this faith that also helped her fight against all odds. Do you know this expenditure to climb Mount Everest took 52 days?

It was also nice to read about what an Eco Expedition is – where the climbers bury their waste and on the way back from the summit take it along them so their actions do not cause destruction.

Memoir did not shy away from including the political aspects or personal opinions of Arunima which makes it even more interesting. There were some gems like
• “This is another big problem in the country. We rarely speak up for others, thinking it’s ‘their’ problem. Of course, when it is our problem, we expect the world to help.”
• “No matter how great a loss, time always heals the pain, even though the scars remain.”
• And my personal favorite (from this book): "Sometimes when you help someone else, you also end up helping yourself”.

What I read horrifically was that climbers abandoned their fellow climbers who were on verge of death (at least one such case is talked about) but then I doubt there was something they could do about it.

This is a memoir that everyone should read!

[Anjan Shree Vaastav · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that can ignite many hopeless young minds and people with disabilities,it restores the lost faith and ability in oneself.
It reveals the meaning of "Fear can hold you prisoner,Hope can set you free"

[Jiten Upadhyay (Team ThinkerViews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will give it around 8.5 stars out of 10.
An inspirational read.
Detailed book review at: https://thinkerviews.com/books/hindi-...

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everest Ki Beti (Hindi Edition)(Kindle Edition) by Arunimna Sinha – Motivational Book- This book begins with Arunima Sinha a national level Volleball player, travelling from Lucknow to New Delhi by Train to attend an examination to the post of Head Constable organized by Central Industrial Security Force at Greater Noida. She purchased a general ticket from the Railway Station and boarded Padmavati Express. Near Bareilly Railway chain, she faced snatcher miscreants fought with them. They threw her out of the railway coach. She fell on the neighbouring railway line where her leg was cut by the fast moving train. Next day, people found her, helped her to a railway hospital. Her brother in law was informed. He and her mother and brother arrived. They brought the story to the notice of the Press. Rest, all is history. Politicians, Rail authorities, civil servants The day her leg was amputated; Arunima Sinha took a pledge that many would find even difficult to comprehend. Her objective, from that day onwards, was not simply to prove her proficiency with a prosthetic leg, but was also to conquer the highest peak in the world – Mount Everest. The sense of accomplishment was what brought back her fearlessness as well as made her a motivation for everybody back home. As a national level volleyball player, Arunima from Ambedkarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, was an unstoppable soul. When a gang of robbers drove her out of a moving train in 2011, she firmly concluded that she would not cringe down. She was tired of people looking at her with pity in their eyes, and mountaineering caught her eye. She found it as a perfect action to symbolic and tangible achievement. It literally embodied the spirit of fighting and conquering obstacles. She contacted Bachendri Pal in 2011 by telephone and signed up for training under her at the Uttarkashi camp of the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) 2012. Sinha climbed Island Peak (6150 metres) in 2012 as preparation for her ascent of Everest. Nothing could falter her from her dream. On her first deed while in transit to the summit, she was so cheerful to have achieved the base camp that she lost balance and tumbled to the ground, injuring herself in the process. In the following journey, there were no stepping tools to sustain her to the opposite side of a wide crevice. She was compelled to bounce crosswise over holes which in the event that she missed, would have ended her life. On the day she endeavoured to summit the Mount Everest, she and her Sherpa were the first to leave the camp. When they were very close to the summit, her Sherpa gave her some terrible news. Their oxygen levels were quickly exhausting, and they needed to return the following day for another attempt. Sinha was adamant on completing the summit that very day. With the help of the Sherpa, after two hours, they were at the pinnacle of Mount Everest, and of her success at 10:55 am on 21 May 2013. Those 7 minutes atop the summit were the best moments of her life. She just wanted to shout out to the world that she had done it. She is now dedicated towards social welfare and she wants to open a free sports academy for the poor and differently-abled persons. She is donating all the financial aids she is getting through awards and seminars for the same cause. The academy would be named Pandit Chandra Shekhar Vikalang Khel Academy. In her website arunimasinha.com, she is noted as saying, “I have achieved my goal but now I want to help physically challenged people to achieve their goal so that they can also become self-dependent and nobody looks at them with pity.”

[Hetal · Rating 5 out of 5]

હું મારી જાતને હમેશા ખુબ જ નસીબદાર માનું છું અને એનું એક માત્ર કારણ છે કે જયારે જયારે મને એમ લાગ્યું છે કે હું મારું લક્ષ્ય કે કામ પૂરું નહિ કરી શકું ત્યારે ત્યારે કોઈ અદ્બુત શક્તિ મને કોઈ વ્યક્તિ કે પુસ્તકના માધ્યમથી મારા લક્ષ્ય સુધી પહોચવા પ્રેરિત કરતી રહી છે. એક ખુબ જ સારો મિત્ર જેને મારા સામર્થ્ય માં મારાથી વધુ વિશ્વાસ છે, હંમેશા સહયોગ અને સહકાર આપનાર પરિવાર, વિકટ પરિસ્થિતિઓમાં કોઈ અપેક્ષા વગર અણધારી મદદ કરનાર સહકર્મચારીઓ અને આ બધાનું સંકલન પ્રદાનકરનાર એ અદ્ભુત શક્તિ–ભગવાન –ઈશ્વર – પ્રભુ.
આ પુસ્તક મને “આંતર રાષ્ટ્રીય મહિલા દિવસ ૨૦૨૦ “ ના ભેટ સ્વરૂપે પસંદ કરવા મળેલું – સી.જે.ગ્રુપ દ્વારા. ઘણા દિવસ સમયના અભાવે વાંચવા માટે અનુકુળતા જ ન આવી. પણ જયારે ફરજીયાત લોકડાઉનના કારણે અઢળક મોક્લાસ અને નવરાસ મળી ત્યારે ફરી આ પુસ્તક યાદ આવ્યું.
“એવરેસ્ટ” મારા માટે હમેશા આકર્ષણનું કેન્દ્ર રહ્યું છે. એ વિશાળતા અનંતતા અને અડીખમતા એ હંમેશા મને અભિભૂત કરી છે. અને આ પુસ્તક શરુ કરવાનું મુખ્ય કારણ પણ એવરેસ્ટ જ હતું. (પ્રાથમિક કક્ષા એ). પણ જેમ-જેમ અરુણિમા સાથે એમના જીવન સાથે જોડાતી ગઈ તેમ-તેમ મારા નાના-નાના લક્ષ્યો માટે ની પ્રેરણા મળતી ગઈ. જયારે બધી પરિસ્થિતિઓ એટલે સુધી કે તમારું શરીર અને જીવન પણ તમારો સાથે છોડી દેવાની તૈયારીમાં હોય ત્યારે એ બધા સાથે ઝગડીને જીવવું એ બાકીની બધી જ સમસ્યાઓ સામે નિરર્થક લાગે. ત્યાં સુધી કે તમે એ સમસ્યાઓને પણ વરદાનરૂપ સમજો કેમ કે એ તમારા જીવતા હોવાનું અને ધબકતા હોવાનું પ્રમાણ હોય.

થોડા વિચારો અને સ્ફૂરણાઓ જે મેં જાતે અનુભવેલી ને આ જ શબ્દસહ પુસ્તકમાં અરુણિમા દ્વારા વર્ણવેલી .....
“ઈશ્વરની કૃપા સાધકમાં પુરુષાર્થના સ્વરૂપે પ્રગટ થાય છે.”
“ ‘થેંક યુ’ કાર્ડ અને સંદેશાઓના જમાનામાં એ આશ્ચર્યજનક છે કે તમારી પાસે એ ભગવાનને ‘થેંક યુ’ કહેવા માટે મંદ સમય હોય છે, જેણે તમને એક સ્વસ્થ અને તંદુરસ્ત શરીર આપ્યું છે. આપણામાંથી મોટા ભાગના લોકો એ શરીરને સન્માન આપતા નથી.”
“મને મારામાં અશક્ય જણાતી બાબતો પૂરી કરવાની તાકાત છે એવો વિશ્વાસ વધવા લાગ્યો હતો.”
“ મને ખબર નહોતી કે હું મારા એ ધ્યેયને પ્રાપ્ત કરી શકીશ કે નહિ. પણ એ વાતે હું સ્પષ્ટ હતી કે ભલે હું નિષ્ફળ જઉં, હું લડત આપ્યા વિના નહી રહું.”
“શરૂઆત સારી હોય એટલે અડધું કામ થઇ ગયું એમ ગણાય.”
“મારી શક્તિઓ વિશેની મારી પોતાની શંકાઓ પણ દુર કરવી હતી.”
“મજબુત મનોબળ ધરાવનાર વ્યક્તિ બધા અવરોધો પર કરી શકે છે. સાચા નિર્ધારિત લોકોને કશું અટકાવી શકતું નથી.”
“થોડા વખત માટે રસ્તો ભૂલ્યા છીએ; પણ આપણે ફરી તેને શોધી લઈશું. મહત્વની વાત એ છે કે આપણે આપણા લક્ષ્યને ન ભૂલીએ.”
“હું પણ માનું છું કે જો તમારે રડવું હોય તો એકાંતમાં રડવું જોઈએ. જગત તો સફળતાને જોવા ઈચ્છે છે; નિષ્ફળની કે રોતલની તે સદા મજાક ઉડાવે છે.”
“જયારે પણ હું મહિલાને જીવનમાં સારું કરતી જોંઉ, નિર્ણયો લેવામાં પહેલ કરતી, કે પુરુષોએ બાંધેલી અન્યાયી મર્યાદાઓને તોડતી જોંઉ ત્યારે મારી અંદરની સ્ત્રી ખુબ રાજીપો અનુભવે છે.”
“કોઈ દૈવી શક્તિ મારું રક્ષણ કરે છે અને મને આગળ ધપવા સહાય કરે છે.”
“કોઈ તમને પરાજિત કરી શકે નહીં, જ્યાં સુધી તમે જ ઝુકી ન જાઓ.”
“ કોઈ-કોઈ વખત નિષ્ફળતાય મળે તેની ના નહીં, પરંતુ તમારા પ્રયત્નો ચાલુ રહેવા જોઈએ. અને કોઈને કોઈ તકના દરવાજા ખુલી જશે, જોજો!! “
“આપણે મનમાંથી બધા નકારાત્મક વિચારોને હાંકી કાઢવા જોઈએ. માત્ર વર્તમાનમાં રહો અને એ બાબતે વિશ્વાસ રાખોકે જે હિંમતવાન છે અને દ્રઢ સંકલ્પવાળું છે તેને ભાગ્ય હંમેશા સાથ આપે છે.”
“હું તો જાણે જે અનેક લોકોએ મારા ઉપર વરસાવ્યા એ પ્રેમ અને દયાનો સરવાળો છું. એ સહુ જો મારી પાછળ ખડગની જેમ ઉભા રહ્યા ન હોત તો હું આજે અહી ન હોત.”

[amit deshpande · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 April – yes, it is today!! But it is just not another white box in calendar.

11 April – a day in 2011 when Arunima Sinha, practically no-one from a very small village, was kicked and thrown out of fast moving Padmawat Express bound to Delhi by goons, merely in an attempt to snatch a gold chain. The anger escalated due to resistance from Arunima made them drag her to train door and kick her multiple times till she flew in air and hit the other train moving in opposite direction. Tossing her between trains couple of times before laying in between the rail tracks. She counted over 48 trains passing by – in both the directions – crying for help before she felt unconscious. And gain back her consciousness only to feel the excruciating pain, her one leg chopped off by moving train during the accident and other crushed till bones that rats had gathered around for feast.

11 April – also a day in 2013 when Arunima, only after two years from the train incident, had reached Everest base camp on her way to be the first amputee to win the mighty peak – to be, practically, on the top of the world – the top of Mount Everest!!

What an inspirational true-story!! Through book, Arunima tells us an unbelievable tale. From a fight to survive till quest to stirring millions of lives with hope to live and succeed!!

As she writes - On the way to the Everest base camp, one can see the Everest peak on a clear sky from a particular point. Fortunately, the weather was clear when I arrived at that point. As my Sherpa pointed to the spot, I froze. It was a thrilling view. I didn’t know what awaited me – a successful visit to the top and a safe climb down, or an icy grave.

On the other incident – “Imagine several people hanging from a rope from the top of a mountain. A 9-mm rope can hold 2000 kg of weight. I was having great difficulty making my way upwards as it was difficult to find a grip on the ice. After several hits my feet got a grip on the snow. Because I had a rod in my right leg, it wasn’t easy for me to apply the kind of power that was required to displace the hard snow to gain a foothold. At times when I tried to hit the snow with my artificial left leg, it used to turn around at 180 degrees under the impact. Imagine hanging from a cliff in that position. Now until I adjusted that leg to its normal position, movement wasn’t easy. I used to twist and turn my body at odd angles to be in a position to hold and fix my left leg by detaching the stump… [ ].. There were moments when there was heavy bleeding from my legs”

If this story won’t inspire you to fight the unfavorable circumstances around, to be on the top of situation and smile back to achieve the unthinkable, then nothing else will!!

[Shreela Sen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4&half
For me, it's an awe-inspiring story, rather than an inspiring one. Frankly, it's larger-than-life, what Arunima Sinha has achieved ... ! She's a survivor, a fighter, a victor.
The books is boastful. & that's a good thing. A person who got attacked for the audacity to resist being robbed by goondaas, has a right to be boastful. WOmen... All Women, should learn to be boastful.
The book is shockingly candid, but not deliberately shocking. Sinha presents with bone-felt sincerity the fact of the cruelty, callousness & indifference of the people around us, & also the humanity & sympathy of other people around us. The book neither hides any flaws in Sinha herself, or the people around her, nor does it glamourize anyone excessively. For instance, Shahnaz Hussain approached her, while she was admitted & under-treatment in AIIMS, & offered to get her trained within the hospital itself. Author acknowledges the kindness & intent of Hussain, the concern & thought that she put in, but also exclaims how, if one is influential, the administrative machinery of India will bend rules!
Half of the book is about the accident & healing from it, & the other half is about the journey to Everest.
It's fast-paced, the writing is somewhat crude, that's the half star less... but still pretty good..., concise, philosophical without being philosophizing ... that's kudos to the co-author Manish Chandra Pandey too.

[Partha Sarathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its the story about the first female amputee who scaled Mt. Everest in the world to set the world record. Well, this just a year ago when she was lying with her left leg chopped off by a train after being pushed out of a running train by some wolves in guise of man in an attempt to rob her. But she did not give in. Now, in that cold night lying helplessly and soaked in her own blood the though of scaling Everest was more like a impossible dream for her, she did not even imagine of it. But eventually fighting through battles after a series of death and murder and bad happening to her family the book tells us about how she finally realized here dream of scaling Mt. Everest. in the book we are introduced to many characters and public, political figures like Bachendri Pal, the first Indian women to scale Mt Everest, Sonia Gandhi's efforts, our present PM Modi who was then the CM of Gujarat, Yuvraj Singh, and many others.
The book is a source of immense inspiration not only for mountain climbers but for people struggling to achieve their dreams working day and night in spite of failures in every sects of life. Her efforts and struggle all throughout her journey to the top is a message for all of us that before you physically achieve any goal, most of it is at first conquered in hearts.

[Mukesh Murmu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read... It tells you one thing, all the constrain are in the mind. If you have made up your mind to something you can achieve it with perseverance and hard work. It was really nice of her to mention the names of each person who had helped her to overcome her situation and difficulties in different phases of her life.
If you are feeling low in your life and asking yourself if your life is worth living then her story will give your strength and show you what adversity really is. A must read.

[Autumn Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a story about a small town girl with dreams and how her life turns upside down due to an unfortunate incident but instead of giving up on life which any normal person might have done if in her shoes, she decided to accepts the reality and live a happy life. She started to dream again but this time she dared to make her dreams come true. It's about her journey to Everest which definitely was not easy but she made it to the top with her determination and resilience.
It is a lucid read which will surely going to inspire you to have that Never Give Up attitude in your life.

[Mirang Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overall, unputdownable.
Words used are unbiased and pure.
In Beginning, upto approx 75 pages, I found it boaring and contradictory to it's title and punchline but later on, it gained pace to get close to meaning of it's title.

Though, author is not an excellent story teller and one can notice it clearly with minor lags and suddent jumps in this book, but overall its worth reading. Completed in 48 hours!

I Reccomond to anyone who want to read good.

[Sreelekha Nama · Rating 5 out of 5]

The power of perseverance and not giving up to the face of ugly fate has destined and re writing the wake of life with her grit and confidence.
It is painful, unimaginable, upliftment to each individual who wants to give up.
It's tale of a woman who conquered the heart of millions like never before, every human being is proud of Arunima Sinha!!

[Anish Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational but dull

The start and ending of this book is awesome. The feat Arunima is the testimony that anything is possible if you have the will to do it. The hindi used is very difficult to understand. I believe the story could have been narrated a little better by lacing it with humour and encouragement. Also use plain hindi which is easy to understand.

[Akash Tiwari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-Hindi folks can checkout 'Born to Climb'. Had listed to its audiobook on Storytel. This memoir also gives interesting (& at times sad) insights on Indian society & politics as well. Worth your time.

स्टोरीटेल पर इसकी ऑडियोबुक सुनी थी। यह आत्मकथा भारतीय समाज और राजनीति पर भी दिलचस्प (और कभी-कभी दुखद) अंतर्दृष्टि देती है। इस किताब से बहुत कुछ सीखने को मिलता है।

[Vijit Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arunima Sinha is very inspiring the way she picked up from the bottomest of her life. She has shown great courage while recovering back from the accident and pushing herself to the Everest to prove to herself. I feel the book can be written more nicely capturing more emotions and struggles and how she actually overcame it.

[Shubhada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really inspirational journey. It makes us believe that whatever happens, happens for good and one can hope until their last breath. This is thrilling story and really brings goosebumps while reading. Nice read!

[Manjeet Kaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational. The events in the book appear fictional for how tough yet miraculous one's life can get; but, when you know the events are real, the book re-establishes faith in the philosophy that life is beautiful and unbiased for those who "want" to live it.

[Shamika Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really a great book! truly inspired the young readers...! Arunima a great salute to you...your struggles and your hard work made it all...Your are a true inspiration to the youngsters....Lots and Lots of love to you!!!!!!!!

[Deepak Bansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally Inspirational Real Life Story of such a brave sportswoman.

[Harmit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!!
Motivational...
It proves.. If you believe in yourself, you can do anything you want to do whatever the situation is..
Thank you Arunimamam..

[Vikrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is average, but story is truly inspirational

[Uttara Sagdeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultimate, Superhit, Excellent