Adventure specialist alleges loopholes in Sharanya's trekking survival story: Here's why

Kozhikode native and trekker G S Sharanya, who was lost in Coorg's Thadiyandamol, Karnataka, for three days, was finally rescued by Sunday (April 5) evening.  According to the 36-year-old, she got separated while descending the hill and eventually, her phone also got switched off. She survived by staying near a rocky area and was unfazed when she was finally found. However, a handful of travellers and trekkers online allege that there are many loopholes in Sharanya's story and wonder whether it was a publicity stunt. Kerala's renowned mountaineer and adventure specialist Shaikh Hassan Khan, for instance, said that not everyone listening to her should be fooled. Here's what Sharanya said and the doubts Hassan raised. 

Sharanya's version
- Sharanya says she was separated while descending the hill and couldn’t find anyone. 
- Apparently, she took a left turn to look for people, but lost her way in the dense forest.
- On April 2, by around 6.45 pm, she apparently kept walking down expecting to find someone, but didn't. So, she stayed on the hill.
- Her phone got switched off, though she tried to reach her friend.
- Her leg was sore the next morning, so she didn't walk. 
- Regardless, she climbed up the hill hoping to spot drones.
- It rained heavily on the third day, so she didn't walk. 
- Just had half a litre of water with her, and drank water from the stream.
- She wasn't scared despite being in the forest.

Shaikh Hassan's questions
Mountaineer Hassan Khan said he is sceptical of what Sharanya told the media and claimed that the latter didn’t look like someone who survived in the forest. He recalled being worried when he got stuck for 4 hours at the Pangode bird sanctuary sometime back. He explained that the forest changes its mood when night falls. Hassan says that it is terrifying to survive inside a forest, no matter how brave one claims to be. One would try to attract rescuers' attention by making a sound or by trying to find the trekking path. He noted that Sharanya’s account didn’t match any of these. 

“Sharanya said that she rested because her leg hurt. It is a forest, not a resort. She stayed in the same spot, looking for drones to spot her. She said that it rained profusely when she tried to leave on the third day. Sharanya doesn’t exhibit the mental state of someone who has tried to survive. There is something in her account that cannot be connected to reality. The viewers who are watching shouldn’t be fools,” he said. Besides, Hassan also said that Sharanya, who went without food for three days, didn’t look tired. 

Meanwhile, science writer Vijayakumar Blathur isn’t convinced by Sharanya’s survival account either. He raised his doubts by posting a photo that he had taken while visiting the Thadiyandamol peak. “I don’t understand why she got lost there. It is quite shocking and unbelievable that she survived for four days in a place where wild animals roam. It is not difficult to spot the rescuers if she reaches the meadows. You could understand if she had stayed inside the forest for just one night. You could easily come out of the forest by walking 10 – 12 kilometres. Let us wait until Sharanya reveals what exactly happened,” he wrote on his Facebook page. Blathur also noted that Sharanya, who looked healthy, couldn’t find her way out for three days. Meanwhile, social media has been full of comments, both supporting and opposing, Hassan and Vijayakumar Blathur.