Cast Away got its very own Indian version when it was discovered that a Karnataka man had been living in the forest for over 17 years. 56-year-old Chandrashekhar had been living in his ambassador car parked deep inside a forest between the villages of Adtale and Nekkare, near Dakshina Kannada.
According to News18, it all started when a cooperative bank in his village seized his home and other belongings after he couldn't repay a loan of Rs 40,000. Since then, Chandrashekhar, former owner of a 1.5 acre land, moved in with his sister's family in Adtale. Soon after, problems arose there too that caused Chandrashekhar to leave for good. He took his car and set off into the forest.
Now, 17 years later, Chandrashekhar has been found living in the same forest all by himself. With a tarp covering his car and a working radio resting on its bonnet, it seemed like the man didn't need anything else in the world. The forest helped him become self-sufficient since he could sell the baskets he weaved from the dried sticks he found there and sell those to make money. He used to bathe in the river that flowed inside the forest.
Chandrashekhar's makeshift home is also frequented by several animals from the jungle such as elephants, antelopes, leopard, and bison. He has adjusted well to this life and refused to leave from here. “I don’t even cut bamboos in the forest. If I cut even a small shrub, I will lose the faith that forest department has on me," said Chandrashekar in a statement to News18.
The last time he was visited by authorities was when he was adminitered his COVID-19 vaccination. The lockdown affected him too as he was forced to survive only on water and other fluids due to scarce resources, but now that everything is opening up, Chandrashekhar's life is also returning to its original ways.
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