E-Paper
Trained teacher, made music videos: How Russian woman Nina Kutina earned while travelling across 20 countries
Nina Kutina, the 40-year-old Russian woman, revealed that she lived in harmony with nature and used to cook on fire or gas cylinder depending on the season.
Days after Nina Kutina, the 40-year-old Russian woman, was rescued along with her two daughters from a remote cave in Karnataka, details have started emerging on how the three managed to survive in the isolated place for nearly two weeks.
Kutina, along with her daughters Preya (6) and Ama (4), were found on July 11 living in a secluded cave in the Ramatirtha hills of the state.
The Russian woman revealed that she lived in harmony with nature and used to cook on fire or gas cylinder depending on the season. She used to get groceries from the nearby village, news agency PTI reported.
Also Read: How Russian woman Nina Kutina, found inside Karnataka's Gokarna cave with daughters, lost her son
"We woke up with the sun, swam in rivers and lived in nature. I cooked on a fire or gas cylinder depending on the season, and got groceries from a nearby village. We painted, sang songs, read books, and lived peacefully,” she said.
She said she painted, sang songs, read books and lived peacefully. Police officials said that the family had been living in the cave for around two weeks.
In a statement, the police said that Kutina spent her time meditating in the cave by candlelight and that she was "interested in staying in the forest and worshiping God."
'Travelling for 15 years'
Nina Kutina also said that she has travelled to over 20 countries in the past 15 years. She arrived in India on a business visa and reached the sacred coastal town of Gokarna via Goa.
However, she overstayed her visa, and the family eventually moved deep into the forest, where they made a natural cave their home amidst dense woods and steep terrain.
She also told police that she is a trained teacher and worked as a tutor of the Russian language in Goa.
The authorities have said that Kutina had overstayed her visa by over eight years.
'Delivered all of them myself'
Nina Kutina has also revealed that her children were born in different countries, while she was travelling. She said that she delivered her two children "all by herself" without the help of doctors or hospitals.
"My children were all born in different places. I delivered all of them myself, without hospitals or doctors, because I know how to do it. No one helped me, I did it alone,” she told PTI.
Kutina said that her children had been taken to the hospital, but they were in perfect health.
"Today they brought us to hospital for doctors, it was the first time my daughters were in hospital, they are full of health, not one pain they have, and not one time in their life they were sick," she added.
Police found the Russian-origin woman during a regular patrol on July 9, at around 05:00 pm. When the officials checked the cave, they found that the woman was living there with her two daughters.
How Nina Kutina earned a living
Kutina said she earned a living by making art and music videos, and occasionally teaches or babysits.
“I earn money through all these activities. And if I don’t have any work, if I can’t find anyone who needs what I can offer, then my brother, my father, or even my son helps me. So we always have enough money for what we need," she said.
Also Read: ‘We were not dying’: Russian woman defends life in Karnataka's Gokarna cave with children
Asked why she didn’t return to Russia, Kutina 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.”
Kutina said she traveled to four other countries and then came back to India “because we love India deeply - its environment, its people, everything”. She also said she is in touch with the Russian Embassy, which is helping her family.
