Sharanya’s survival story

Madikeri: After the rescue, Sharanya told reporters that she had somehow lost her way but never felt afraid. “I could not see anyone when I climbed down. I reached a path on the left side but  could not find anyone there,” she said.

“I lost my way and when I saw people on the hilltop, I tried to reach them by taking a route uphill, but soon they disappeared from view. I then moved downhill but lost network connectivity and ended up in a dense forest,” she said.

“After realising that I had lost my way, I immediately called the homestay owner and asked him to inform the Forest Check Post staff. At that time, my mobile phone had only one percent charge left, and  soon after the call, it switched off,” she said.

“On the second day, I climbed higher up the hill as the area had better visibility, hoping a drone might spot me. On the third day, I wanted to walk, but it rained heavily. I was drenched, and it was very cold at night. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Every evening, around 6.45 pm, I took shelter at the base of a large tree in the forest. In the wilderness, it felt safer to stay there during the night. For three days, I survived only on water from streams in the forest. I kept screaming intermittently in the hope that someone would hear me,” she added.

“As there was no food, I drank about three litres of water each day and started walking early in the morning, around 6 am, hoping to find my way back. One day it rained and the next day the hills were covered with thick clouds and mist, making it difficult to see the terrain clearly,” she said. “I even spotted elephant calves at a distance, but fortunately they did not come near me,”  she recalled.