A terrifying hike turned into a four-day fight for survival — and somehow, she lived to tell the story.
G.S. Sharanya, a 36-year-old IT professional, was found alive after vanishing deep inside a dense forest in southern India, sparking a frantic, multi-agency search that stretched for days.
Sharanya disappeared on April 2 during a trek to Tadiandamol peak, a popular but rugged mountain in the Kodagu district. What began as a group hike quickly spiraled into a nightmare when she became separated from the others — and suddenly found herself completely alone in the wilderness.
Officials say nine different rescue teams, including forest officers, police, and specialized forces, scoured the area day and night trying to locate her. By the time they found her on April 5, she had spent nearly 96 hours stranded in thick जंगल terrain with no food.
And yet — against the odds — she survived.
According to Sharanya, the ordeal began when she paused during the descent while others continued ahead. When she looked up again, they were gone.
She tried to retrace her steps. Then she tried to follow another group.
Then everything disappeared.
Lost in the dense forest with night closing in, Sharanya realized she was on her own.
With just a single banana already eaten and only about half a liter of water, her situation quickly turned dire. But she managed to stay alive by finding a stream — drinking nearly three liters of water a day to keep herself going.
She battled exhaustion, leg pain, heavy rain, and the constant uncertainty of what might be lurking nearby. At one point, she even encountered monkeys as she stayed near the water source, unsure if other animals would emerge from the darkness.
Still, what she described next stunned many.
Instead of sheer panic, Sharanya said parts of the experience felt almost surreal.
As night fell, the forest came alive — filled with the sounds of cicadas and glowing with fireflies under a bright moonlit sky.
“It was beautiful,” she recalled, describing her first-ever night spent alone in the wild.
But the danger was very real.
She shouted for help, but the roar of the stream and thick vegetation swallowed her voice. With no signal and no clear path out, every hour stretched into a test of endurance.
Finally, on the fourth day, everything changed.
Sharanya climbed to a more open area when she suddenly heard voices in the distance. Desperate to be found, she shook a tree to grab attention.
It worked.
Locals spotted her — alive.
Officials later confirmed she was in stable condition and quickly arranged for her safe return home, bringing an emotional end to a search that could have ended very differently.
And in a twist few expected after such a harrowing experience, Sharanya says she isn’t done exploring.
In fact, she’s already planning her next trip.
After surviving four days lost in the wild with no food, she’s not backing down — proving this incredible ordeal may have tested her limits… but it didn’t break her spirit.
