Living in a Cave: Russian Mom and Daughters Found in Gokarna Jungle

New Delhi (India) July 16: A 40-year-old Russian mother and her two young daughters were discovered residing in an isolated cave in the Ramatirtha Hills of Karnataka.

Life in the Cave

According to reports, she had been meditating alone for almost two weeks. She is motivated by a strong interest in Hindu philosophy. During a regular patrol following a recent landslide, Gokarna police found the family.

Authorities are handling their visa irregularities and guaranteeing their safe return. They have now moved the woman and her children to a shelter. 

M Narayana, the superintendent of police for Uttara Kannada has said that the family had been surviving mainly on instant noodles and sleeping on plastic sheets. Kutina had prepared enough food to last the duration of the monsoon season.

Both of her daughters, who are about six and a half and four years old, were born in India. According to officials, they seemed to be in good physical and mental health. Kutina also stated that she didn't want to discuss her husband or the father of her children.

Shifted to Ashram Shelter

Police convinced the three to leave the cave. They made arrangements for them to stay the night at an ashram in the area. The ashram is managed by an 80-year-old woman named Swamiji from the Shankara Prasad Foundation. According to officers, kids were happy to see electricity and sleep on real beds, two things they had never known before.

Kutina is an illegal immigrant due to her expired visa. Her children are also ineligible for Indian citizenship because they were born while she was in the country illegally.

Kutina said her life in the cave was peaceful and very different from what was reported in the media. 

She said, “You give already a lot of lying information. We have big experience to stay in natural, in jungle, and we were not dying, and I did not bring my children, my daughters to die in jungle. They did not feel bad, they were very happy, they swam in waterfall, they lived, had very good place for sleeping, a lot of lessons with art making, we made from clay, we painted, we ate good, I was cooking with gas, very good and tasty food." 

Kutina has travelled via Goa to Gokarna after entering India on a business visa. She revealed that she is originally from Russia. She has four children. Kutina has spent the previous fifteen years wandering the world. 

Visa and Citizenship Issues

Kutina stated that there were a number of personal and legal issues regarding her return to Russia. She said, “There have been many complicated reasons. First, there were multiple personal losses — not just the death of my son, but also a few other close people. We were constantly dealing with grief, paperwork, and other problems.”

Aadrika Tayal