Everest and the Seven Summits

On 21 May 2013, after 52 exhausting days, Arunima Sinha reached the summit of Mount Everest! At the top of the world she felt a surge of emotions: pride, relief and a huge sense of achievement.

She held up the Indian flag, and left a photo of her idol, Swami Vivekananda, whose teachings had inspired her. She became the first Indian female amputee to climb Everest.

Honours followed:

• Padma Shri (2015), India's fourth-highest civilian award
• the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
• the National Award for Best Female Mountaineer
• an honorary doctorate from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

But she didn't stop at Everest! By July 2016 she had climbed the highest peaks in Europe, Africa, Australia, South America and North America, as well as Asia's Everest. In January 2019 she climbed Mount Vinson in Antarctica, becoming the world's first female amputee to do so, and completing the Seven Summits.

The Seven Summits = the highest peak on each continent:

She faced many setbacks. Her story is about endurance (keeping going at something hard for a long time) and fortitude (courage over a long time), and a positive mindset.

Her autobiography: *Born Again on the Mountain: A Story of Losing Everything and Finding It Back. Her message: "Never give up and work hard.* Always remember your goal and work on it." And: "Failure is not when we fall short of our goals. It is when we don't have goals worthy enough."