Sounds like quite an adventure. To think that a couple decades ago almost no one had a cell phone and now we are so reliant on them...
I find it odd that you are not allowed in the woods. Here we have protected areas but we are allowed to wander them and even camp as long as we don't cause any damage. Maybe because there are so many people in India they would wreck the forest?
Yeah, technology has made us so dependent. Pretty much anything is accessible with the touch of a button these days. It's useful for sure, but its good to experience life without it once in a while.
Yes, we have way too many people here. Tourists really have no regard for the beautiful surroundings. Also the forests are protected because a lot of local endemic trees known as Sholas have been replaced by invasive species like Eucalyptus and the forest department wants to preserve the remaining sholas. Introducing ignorant people to a delicate ecosystem is bound to cause adverse effects, so it's in everyone's interest that the forests remain closed to the public.