The Night Bahrain Witnessed the Power of She
From Train Tracks to the Top of the World
Then came a hush, the kind that settles right before a storm of emotion. Dr. Arunima Sinha, India's first female amputee to scale Mt. Everest, stepped forward. But before she became a mountaineer, she was a national-level volleyball player, and a victim of unthinkable violence.
She was thrown off a moving train by robbers in 2011. Left on the tracks, limbs crushed, consciousness flickering and the cruel rhythm of 49 trains passing by. It was seven hours before help arrived.With no anesthesia, she underwent an emergency leg amputation. But even as she lay in a hospital bed, riddled with rods and screws, she made a declaration no one could have predicted: 'I will climb Everest.'
Arunima's journey wasn't just vertical, it was spiritual. She trained for 18 months, faced repeated rejections from sponsors, and endured brutal climbs with one prosthetic leg and a spine held together by determination. 'People only saw what I didn't have,' she said. 'They didn't see the fire inside.'
In 2013, she reached the summit of Everest, not just for herself, but for everyone who's ever been told they couldn't. She now leads a foundation that supports amputees and underprivileged children in India, proving that healing isn't just personal, it's communal.
That evening, under the soft lights of BIBF's auditorium, something magical happened. The crowd didn't just listen, they transformed. Tears were wiped quietly. Hands clapped louder. Hearts were realigned.
The stories of Shaikha Al Shaiba and Dr. Arunima Sinha were not about tragedy. They were about triumph. About what happens when a woman decides that her narrative won't be written by circumstance.These were not just speeches. They were battle cries. They were love letters to the human spirit. They reminded us that our scars are not symbols of shame, they are stamps of survival.
And as I walked out that evening into the cool Manama air, I realized something, I had forgotten to breathe. But I left with lungs full of courage, a heart full of awe, and a soul that had just witnessed greatness.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
4 minutes ago
- Global News
4 missing after Airmedic helicopter crash in northeastern Quebec: police
Quebec provincial police launched a search operation Saturday after a helicopter crash in northeastern Quebec that left four people unaccounted for. They said the aircraft operated by Airmedic was involved in an accident around 10:30 p.m. on Friday near Natashquan, Que., a little more than 1,000 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Police planned to comb a wooded area in the region north of the community in the province's Côte-Nord region. Sgt. Élizabeth Marquis-Guy said five people were aboard the chopper, but one man was rescued and reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken to hospital. The four others remained missing on Saturday morning. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Raphaele Bourgault, a spokesperson from the Longueuil, Que.-based air medical transport firm, confirmed the helicopter was part of the company fleet and said emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene. Story continues below advertisement 'Airmedic staff are working closely with authorities and first responders to manage the situation and provide the necessary assistance,' Bourgault said in an emailed statement. 'Airmedic will release further information as soon as it is confirmed.' Bourgault said the company's thoughts and concerns are with those affected by the crash. Airmedic specializes in air medical transport and operates both planes and helicopters as part of its fleet. It is a private company that offers its services across Canada. A command post was set up and search specialists are on site and are capable of searching on the water as well as by ground and in the air. The Canadian Armed Forces have also been called for assistance, police said. Provincial police say the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has been informed of the crash and will conduct an investigation to determine the circumstances behind it. A TSB spokesman said the helicopter was in the process of a medical evacuation and crashed into a lake shortly after takeoff. 'The TSB is in contact with the operator and others involved and is collecting information,' spokesman Nic Defalco said in an emailed response. Story continues below advertisement Police investigators will collaborate in the TSB probe, Marquis-Guy said.
Glasgow Times
4 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
England stage fightback against India after Rishabh Pant's stylish century
Pant became India's third centurion of the innings with a swashbuckling 135 – following first-day tons from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill – but India collapsed from 430 for three to 471 all out. A clatter of wickets either side of lunch on day two was followed by a near hour-long rain delay, after which Bumrah lit up a gloomy Headingley with an astonishing new-ball burst under the floodlights. We've reached Tea on Day 2 ☕️ With Ben Duckett (53*) and Ollie Pope (48*) unbeaten at the crease. 🏴 1️⃣0️⃣7️⃣-1️⃣ — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 21, 2025 Zak Crawley perished in the first over of the reply, looking to play to leg but dumbfounded by late movement as he edged to slip, while Bumrah might also have accounted for Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. As it was, the pair weathered the onslaught – in which nigh-on every Bumrah delivery was an event – and tucked into India's other bowlers to lift England to 107 for one at tea, trailing by 364. Duckett was dropped on 15 by the usually dependable Ravindra Jadeja at backward point while both the left-handed opener and Pope edged between third slip and gully. At the other end Mohammed Siraj was ransacked for 23 from his first three overs while Prasidh Krishna was ineffective, with Duckett and Pope pressing the accelerator in Bumrah's absence. Siraj had a much better second spell and might have had Pope on 34, but an lbw appeal was turned down and a review showed the ball was only trimming the top of the stumps as luck went England's way. Ben Duckett helped steer England past 100 runs (Danny Lawson/PA) Duckett won the race to fifty, ending the session on 53 not out, with the under-fire Pope unbeaten on 48. India held sway on 359 for three overnight after being asked to bat first and Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse again struggled to make an impact as Gill and Pant stretched the tourists' lead. While Gill bedded in, Pant went through the gears and went after Shoaib Bashir, greeting his first ball of the day with a paddle for four then a huge hit for six in the same over to move into the 90s. Pant brought up a seventh Test ton in style with a one-handed six off Bashir before removing his helmet and gloves and celebrating the achievement with a somersault. It's that man Josh Tongue again! Ravindra Jadeja goes for 11. 🇮🇳 4️⃣6️⃣9️⃣-9️⃣ — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 21, 2025 Gill sought to get to 150 in similarly buccaneering fashion but found only Josh Tongue in the deep to depart for 147, setting in motion England's recovery. Nair's first Test innings for India since 2017 was a brief affair as a drive off England captain Ben Stokes was excellently pouched by his deputy Pope, diving full length to his left. Tongue then took centre stage. Having been curiously overlooked up until 20 minutes before lunch, he jagged one back into Pant, who shuffled across his crease but offered no stroke and was pinned leg-before. After Shardul Thakur nicked off to give Stokes his fourth wicket, Tongue made short work of the tail. Having leaked 75 off 16 wicketless overs on Friday, he claimed four for 11 from overs on Saturday.
Glasgow Times
4 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Finn Russell says Andy Farrell helped put any tension with Johnny Sexton to bed
Sexton has previously been critical of Russell, labelling him 'flashy' and a 'media darling', while adding he would choose Owen Farrell over him against the Wallabies because the former England captain is a 'Test match animal'. And in his autobiography, the Ireland great confessed that it 'kills me to this day' that he was overlooked in favour of Russell for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa. Now the former fly-half rivals are working together to plot the downfall of Australia, with Sexton acting as the Lions kicking skills coach and Russell in pole position to take the playmaking duties in the Test series. Russell (right) says Farrell (left) has helped ease any tensions (Brian Lawless/PA) When they first linked up after the players involved in the Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals arrived into camp earlier this week, any acrimony quickly faded. 'It's just been bit of a craic. It was never a thing. When we came in, we had a laugh straight away and Andy kind of put it to bed so that was good,' Scotland international Russell said. 'Not that it was ever going to be an issue, I don't believe. We're all here with the same goal, which is to win the series. 'I've only been here a few days but it's been good working with Johnny. I'm happy to bounce questions off him and chat to him about what he's seeing. 'With the numbers we've had, he's had to jump in sometimes so it's been quite funny being on the same training side as him. Sexton is part of the Lions' coaching setup (Brian Lawless/PA) 'It's good to have a guy with his experience here. I can chat to him and bounce things off him as and when I need. 'All the coaches seem open to conversations and chats. It's a good environment to be in.' Australia will be Russell's third expedition with the Lions, with all three set to be very different experiences. In 2017 in New Zealand he was part of the controversial 'Geography Six', a group of Scotland and Wales players who were called into Warren Gatland's squad not on merit but because of their close proximity while on summer tours. Four years later he travelled to South Africa where all matches were played behind closed doors due to the pandemic, denying the Lions their famed 'sea of red' support. The Bath ringmaster started the third Test against the Springbocks. Russell has been part of two previous Lions tours (Steve Haag/PA) 'New Zealand was still amazing because it was my first time being called up to the Lions,' Russell said. 'We weren't there for the whole tour, but to have gone to New Zealand and played was really cool for me. 'And then in 2021 it was special going the whole time, even though it was Covid. We couldn't have family and friends or fans at the game, but it was still amazing in a different way. 'In terms of the boys, we probably got to know each other a little bit better because it was just us in the hotel and whatnot. I'm looking forward to what this one's going to be like.'
