MANGALURU: It was sheer grit and determination which saw a 25-year-old techie from Bengaluru, who had lost his way during a trek in the Subrahmanya forest range, survive the dense jungles for two nights.
He slept on rocks near waterfalls, drank only on water from streams, battled leeches and finally found his way back to civilisation on Tuesday.
Santosh, who works with a software company, had gone on a trekking expedition with 11 others to Kumara Parvatha hills in Dakshina Kannada district. The batch started their trek on September 14 and camped that night on the hills.
While returning on Sunday evening, Santosh lost his way, leaving his friends in a tizzy.
His friend Darshan had filed a missing person’s complaint at Subrahmanya police station, following which a search operation was launched.
Recounting his ordeal over two nights in the forest, Santosh told The New Indian Express that he was in control of his fear and only focused on meeting his parents and friends.
‘I started out a bit early and got lost in no time’
“I am the only son to my parents and, all through my journey after I lost my way, I kept thinking about them and did not fear the dark or the dense forest.”Speaking about his experience, Santosh said that around 4:30 pm on September 15, he left the camp on the hill about five minutes earlier than the others. A batch of six had already left and the second batch was about to leave.
“I was in the second batch. Even as the rest of my batchmates were getting into their shoes, I started out and got lost in no time. Our guide had gone with the first batch. It is a strange and fearful experience to lose sight of friends,” he said.
He then started to walk towards a water body as he had a gut feeling that it would lead to a village nearby. On Sunday night, Santosh slept on a rock near a waterfall. He had nothing to eat in his bag and was constantly troubled by leaches.
“I did not venture away from waterfall in search of something to eat because I thought it may prove fatal. I slept on a rock and drank sufficient water from the stream. At daybreak, I continued walking in search of human habitation,” he recalled.
On Monday too, he spent the night near another waterfall and followed the same routine. He added that he lay down on a rock, but had a sleepless night. On Tuesday, Santosh found a pipeline near the waterfall and started to follow it. Luckily, he reached a place called Kallu Gudde by afternoon.
“I boarded an auto there and the driver told me about the search that had been launched. He took me to a place where police were present,” he said. “It was an unforgettable experience. I have learnt not make any errors and never lose sight of friends during trekking,” he added.
80 men in search operation
The police and forest departments had launched massive rescue operation. As many as 80 personnel from both departments were searching for Santosh for two days.
A police officer said they searched most of the places inside the forest and added that Santosh was lucky that he managed to find his way out of the forest.
Expert opinion
Environmentalist and veteran trekker Dinesh Holla said it is not advisable to trek during the monsoon. Dense fog makes the trek tougher and people lose their way most of the time.
During rains, it also becomes difficult to gauge if any animals are nearby.
Landslides are also common. Trekkers should not venture out without any guide, he added.