A decade in the wild: Namma ‘Tarzan’ makes forest his home, lives on leaves in Karnataka

BELAGAVI: On a scrubby, wind-beaten stretch of rocky hills near Ugargol village in Saundatti taluk, a lean, bare-chested figure moves with practised ease. For nearly a decade, Budan Khan Hosamani has called the forested slopes of Heggolla home — claiming to have survived on raw leaves and wild greens, far from the prying eyes of civil society.

Locals have christened the 34-year-old the "Modern-Day Tarzan", a comparison inspired by his muscular build, minimal clothing and apparent comfort in the wild. The analogy may be a touch dramatic — there are no jungle vines or cinematic leaps here — but Budan's life in the forest undeniably set him apart.


"I like living in the forest, not in public," he says.

Budan claims to have spent the past 10 years in the hills, sustaining himself on nearly 80 varieties of edible leaves and plants endemic to the region. He insists he does not eat cooked food, rice or roti, and no longer finds conventional meals appealing.

His daily routine includes long walks, yoga and exercise — practices he credits for helping him digest raw vegetation.

His unusual diet, he says, was learned from observing monkeys. "I watched what they eat and what they avoid," Budan explains. Studying their habits, he claims, helped him identify safe leaves and steer clear of harmful ones.

Residents of Ugargol recall that Budan left home about a decade ago. His mother and two brothers still live in the village. "I told my mother, I won't come home," he says, adding that he left home when relatives pressured him to get married. Though the family later let him have his way, he had, by then, adapted fully to a sylvan life.

Despite living in isolation, a mobile phone is one gadget that Budan has kept with himself for emergencies.

In the end, whether modern-day Tarzan or solitary seeker, Budan remains a man who chose the wild — and has stayed his course.