Thiruvananthapuram: A woman continues to live alone in a deep forest settlement that remains her permanent address, long after the other residents of the area have moved away. In Daivakkallu, 61-year-old Sundari Kani stays back in the deserted village surrounded by wildlife, with only dogs for company, even as elephants roam nearby.

Her house stands unprotected in the middle of the forest. Only two rooms of the cement-built structure have sheet roofs, while cloth curtains hang over the doors and windows. Despite the hardships, Sundari says she intends to remain here until her final days.

Sundari is the sole permanent resident of Daivakkallu in the Vithura Grama Panchayat. The village lies deep inside the forest along the route from Kallar to Ponmudi and is named after a large stone known as Daivakkallu. The presence of wild elephants is common in this area.

It has been many years since Sundari’s two brothers left the village. Her brother Madhavan Kani, who now lives in Mottamoodu, visits at night to stay with her. Sundari earns her living by farming on her ancestral land that has been passed down through generations. A KSRTC bus reaches Mottamoodu, four kilometres away. From there, one must take an auto to Odachampara and then follow a two-kilometre single-track path to reach Daivakkallu.

Reaching her home takes hours of climbing mountains through forest terrain and wild streams. Sundari descends the slope by walking and sitting whenever necessary. She had moved to Pulichamala village after her marriage to Balakrishnan, but she returned to Daivakkallu following his death.

Although her health makes travel difficult, she climbs down the mountain once or twice a month to buy rations. ASHA worker Usha and the palliative care team visit the village monthly. They are the only people from outside who come to Daivakkallu in search of Sundari Kani.