Who are Arunima Sinha & Kiran Kanojia? The two women who inspire Gautam Adani

Gautam Adani, in an exclusive interview with India Today, said that the courage, strength, resilience, and tenacity of an average Indian inspires him the most to achieve the unachievable goals. Adani, who is the founder and chairman of the Adani Group, said in the interview that he is a first-generation entrepreneur, and his core philosophy is of infusing ‘Growth with Goodness’ through his nation-building vision.  

The billionaire, who has been named India Today magazine’s ‘Newsmaker of the Year’, in an interview with India Today Group Editorial Director (Publishing) Raj Chengappa, said that he is greatly moved by the stories of two extraordinary women, Arunima Sinha and Kiran Kanojia, who, despite physical challenges, conquered the world on their own terms. 

“As an ordinary man, the courage, strength, resilience, and tenacity of the average Indian are very inspiring and motivating for me. To share with you, at the 2nd edition of our Green Talks series, I was greatly moved by the stories of Arunima Sinha and Kiran Kanojia, two extraordinary women who unfortunately lost their limbs but yet conquered the world. Arunima climbed Mt Everest and Kiran, a blade runner, is running marathons. Both are incredible women and the pride of India. They are the real heroes of naya India. Their stories moved me so much that I had tears in my eyes. I am truly humbled by their spirit,” Adani said.  

Arunima Sinha, a Central Industrial Security Force aspirant, lost her leg in a horrific train incident in 2011 while she was resisting a group of robbers who were trying to loot her valuables. In the aftermath of her accident, she received monetary compensation and subsidised treatment costs but Sinha couldn't bear the pity people showed her. Inspired by cricketer Yuvraj Singh and his fight against cancer, Sinha took a challenge and decided to scale Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world.  

After getting discharged from the hospital, she began her training with mountaineer Bachendri Pal, the first woman to have scaled the Everest. Later, she got extensive training at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and TATA Steel Adventure. She went to Everest via the Tata-sponsored Eco Everest Expedition in 2013. On May 21, 2013, Sinha became the first-ever amputee to successfully climb Mount Everest. 

Kiran Kanojia, an Infosys employee back in 2011, was a happy, content person. But things changed for her when she lost her leg in a fateful train accident. From that low point in her life, Kanojia became India's first woman blade runner after undergoing rigorous training under Mohana Gandhi at the Dakshin Rehabilitation Centre. 

Watch: Gautam Adani Pays Tribute To The Late Dhirubhai Ambani

Also read: 'Lakshman rekha between management, editorial': How Gautam Adani promises to run NDTV