Snakes, sun and silence: How a Russian woman turned a Karnataka cave into home for her kids; here's what she did there

Time of India

5 days ago

NEW DELHI: For nearly two weeks, 40-year-old Russian national Nina Kutina lived with her two young daughters — six-year-old Preya and four-year-old Ama — in a forest cave near the coastal town of Gokarna in Karnataka.
On July 11, authorities noticed suspicious activity around the cave and proceeded to 'rescue' the trio.
However, the intervention disrupted the Russian family's chosen way of life — one deeply rooted in their comfort with living close to nature.
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Nestled in the green hills of Ramatirtha forest, the cave served as their home, school, temple and kitchen.
'We woke up with the sun, swam in rivers, cooked on fire, painted, sang, and read books,' Nina said, speaking to news agency PTI after being found by police during a patrol.
'We lived in nature, peacefully.'
The family's life came into the spotlight recently after local police, conducting routine checks for tourist safety, stumbled upon the trio in what they described as "a state of isolation".
Authorities moved them to a women's rehabilitation centre, citing concerns over their safety and expired visa documents.
A forest home, not a hideout
The cave, according to Nina, was never a place of danger — but of healing.
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She said she came to Karnataka to pursue meditation and chose to raise her daughters in the forest because of the spiritual and natural connection it offered.
A trained teacher in Russian literature and art, Nina homeschooled both children.
'They are very smart and healthy. Everyone who meets them says so,' she said. 'They never fell sick, not once in their lives.'
Inside the cave, she maintained a regular routine, cooking meals from scratch, teaching mantras and songs and following a daily rhythm set by sunlight rather than clocks.
'It was not only a shelter,' she explained. 'It was a place of prayer, learning, and family.'
A life on the move
Nina's journey to India began in 2016 on a business visa. Over the last 15 years, she says she has lived in nearly 20 countries, delivering all four of her children without medical help.
She insists she had travelled in and out of the country multiple times, and disputes official claims that she overstayed her visa by several years.
'Their information is not correct. My passport changed. They did not check properly,' she said. 'Our visa expired, but it was not long ago.'
Grief and loss
Nine months ago, Nina's eldest son died. She says his ashes were among the belongings taken after her removal from the cave. 'Many of our things are gone, including the ashes of my son,' she said, visibly emotional.
'We were dealing with grief, paperwork, and many problems.
But we love India — its people, its energy.'
'This place is worse'
Since their rescue, Nina and her daughters have been temporarily housed in a rehabilitation facility — a shift she calls traumatic.
'We are now in an uncomfortable place. It's dirty. There's no privacy. My daughters are only given plain rice to eat,' she said. 'This is the first time they have been in a hospital or around such conditions.'
She denies any suggestion that her children were at risk in the cave.
'Yes, there were snakes, but there are snakes in houses too. We knew how to live with nature.'
Between two worlds
As authorities proceed with deportation formalities, the Russian Embassy has stepped in to offer support. But Nina remains uncertain about what comes next.
'I was not trying to escape life,' she said. 'I chose this life. And it was a good life — clean, honest, and full of love.'
(With agency inputs)