Teacher, actress, comedian, Hong Kong charity co-founder – how a driven daughter made her dreams come true
- Maitreyi Karanth lost her dad at the age of 9 but felt she’d be disappointing him if she didn’t user her talent. She talks about fulfilling her childhood dreams
My dad grew up in poverty in a big family and relied on the temple for his lunch. He was talented and, at the age of 13, he began writing for a local newspaper. He had the gift of the gab and got a job in the PR department of a bank.
Public speaking and the stage were a big deal at that time, and he was popular. He also worked nights at the newspaper. My mum was blind, she was timid, a gentle soul, and rarely went out.
I was born in 1973 in Manipal, a university town in Udupi, India, and had my dad’s talent for public speaking. When I was eight, I wanted to be a famous actress and decided that with the money I earned I would build homes for the poor.
We rushed in and found him lying on the floor struggling to breathe. I was told to run to the neighbour’s house to get the doctor. When I got back, my dad had passed away, he was only 40. My mum began screaming and rubbing my dad’s feet.
For two weeks, we had to keep her out of the kitchen at night because we worried she might knife herself.