Lost in Coorg forest for 3 days, Kerala techie Sharanya returns with a smile

Kozhikode: “I waited for three days beside a stream, hoping someone would come searching for me. I thought at least a drone might spot me. I stayed in an open space so I could be easily located. But no one came. Slowly, my hope began to fade,” recalled Sharanya, the 36-year-old IT professional from Nadapuram, who was found safe on Sunday after going missing during a trek to Tadiandamol peaks in Coorg.

Sharanya, a 36-year-old IT professional from Nadapuram, has lived through an ordeal that tested her endurance, patience, and presence of mind. Lost deep inside the dense forests, she spent three days alone in the wilderness before finally being rescued—an experience she describes not with panic, but with remarkable calm.

Her ordeal began on Thursday afternoon while descending from the peak as part of a group of 12 trekkers. Walking ahead, with two others just a few meters behind, she briefly paused, expecting them to catch up. But within minutes, confusion set in—they had taken a different path.

“At first, I thought I would find them easily,” she told Onmanorama. Spotting another group on a higher ridge, she tried to reach them, circling through the forest. By the time she got there, they had already left. That was the moment reality struck—she was alone and had lost her way.

Despite the growing uncertainty, Sharanya pushed forward for hours, hoping to reconnect with her group. But as dusk fell around 6:30 pm, the forest grew darker and more intimidating. Realising the dangers of moving further at night, she made a crucial decision. “I found a spot near a stream beside a large rock. It felt relatively safe, even from wild animals,” she explained.

Choosing survival over panic, Sharanya stayed put. She had no food, surviving only on water from the stream. To keep herself calm and occupied, she even spent time clicking photographs with her camera. “I believed someone would come looking for me once they realised I was missing,” she said.

But as Sunday approached, doubt crept in. “By noon, I began to wonder if anyone even knew I was missing. That’s when I decided to move.”

With renewed determination, she began climbing uphill toward a more open area, making loud noises in hopes of being heard. Hours passed. Then, at around 3 pm, a response echoed back. “That was the moment of relief. I knew the search team had heard me.”

Sharanya’s nights in the forest were mostly manageable—except for Saturday, when heavy rain drenched her completely. “That was the hardest night. It pushed me to start moving the next day again,” she said.

Despite the harsh conditions, she remarkably did not experience major physical weakness or health issues. She did notice signs of elephant herds early on but encountered no direct threats from wildlife.

Her ordeal finally ended around 5 pm on Sunday when she was rescued by a joint team of police, the anti-Naxal squad, and forest officials. Shortly after, she spoke to her mother, bringing an emotional close to the tense search.