Kozhikode (Kerala): While Kerala trekker GS Sharanya’s survival in the Tadiandamol hills for four days captured public attention, experts and mountaineers have expressed doubts over her account of the ordeal.

Sharanya, a 36-year-old IT professional from Kozhikode, was successfully traced in the deep forests of Karnataka's Kodagu district on Sunday night after losing her way during a trek on April 2. She recounted surviving alone on water from a forest stream, braving rain and steep terrains, and staying atop rocky outcrops to avoid wild animals.

However, mountaineer Shaikh Hassan Khan questioned the authenticity of her story. He said, “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.”

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He added, “Sharanya, who went without food for three days, didn't look tired.” Khan explained that surviving in a forest at night is terrifying, and one would instinctively try to attract rescuers’ attention or find trekking paths — behaviour he said Sharanya’s account did not reflect.

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Vijayakumar Blathur's FB post

Science writer Vijayakumar Blathur also expressed scepticism, noting on Facebook, “Sharanya is safe. That is a relief. She reached Tadiandamol peak on October 24. The reason why she lost her way there is still unclear. Even so, spending four days in a forest with so many animals is astonishing — it is hard to believe.”

Blathur added that the dense forest terrain and absence of large open areas make it unusual for someone to spend four days without proper navigation or sustenance: “The fact that it took so long to find her is only because it was Karnataka. Otherwise, there is no area that large — it is dense forest. Even for a healthy person, it shouldn’t take this long to find a path out after three days.”

Sharanya, meanwhile, spoke of the forest with a sense of wonder rather than fear. “By evening, fireflies would fill the whole forest. There was moonlight, and the sky was so clear. I could see stars ...,” she said. She credited her survival to instinct and the stream of water she found and expressed a desire to return to trekking despite the incident.

Her account follows a massive rescue operation involving forest officials, Anti-Naxal Squad personnel, local tribal communities, and thermal drones under the direction of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Sharanya was eventually found by locals in a remote area of the forest and walked out calmly to the rescuers.