Indian and the first woman amputee who reached the peak of the Mount Everest, Arunima Sinha has been made an honorary Doctor of UK’s University of Strathclyde on Tuesday (6).
Arunima received the honour at a graduation ceremony in Glasgow for her inspirational achievements in mountaineering. Her honorary doctorate degree also recognises her charitable work through the Arunima Foundation, which functions with an objective to empower women, physically challenged in India.
The foundation also seeks to improve the socioeconomic condition of the weaker sections of the society.
Sinha is a former Indian national volleyball team member. Her left leg amputated below the knee after pushed from a train while resisting a robbery attempt.
To achieve something in her life, Sinha decided to reach the peak of Mount Everest when she was recovering from injuries. To make her dream true, Sinha later trained with Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb the world’s highest peak.
On May 21, 2013, Sinha became the world’s and India’s first female amputee to reach the peak of Mount Everest. Sinha continued her mountaineering journey and became the first female amputee to climb the tallest mountains in Africa, Europe, Australia, and South America.
In 2015, the Indian government honoured Sinha with ‘Padma Shri’, India’s fourth-highest civilian award.
“I'm very happy and grateful to receive this honorary degree from the University of Strathclyde. This award delivers a good message to the youth of India and the world over that if you strive to reach your goals in life your achievements will be recognised,” said Sinha speaking on the honorary doctorate she received.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde said, “Arunima is an inspiration to amputees around the world. Not only has she shown real spirit, courage and determination in overcoming adversity, but she is also using her compassion and positivity to help other people.”
“Arunima embodies the values of Strathclyde and we are delighted to recognise her achievements by making her an Honorary Doctor of the University”, he added.
Sinha’s name included a global community of over 170,000 Strathclyde alumni, of whom more than a quarter are based overseas.
Sinha born in 1988 is from Ambedkar Nagar located in India’s northern state, Uttar Pradesh. She had qualified as a head constable in India’s federal armed force, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in 2012.
Damian Talbot