“Medicine teaches you how to save lives, but sometimes it teaches you how fragile life can be.

Having to tell parents that their child was brain dead and discuss organ donation is an experience no doctor can prepare for. Those conversations changed me in ways no textbook ever could.

Becoming a doctor had been my childhood dream. Growing up, I believed Apollo Hospitals in Chennai was where miracles happened. Families travelled to seek treatment there and returned home healthy.

I wanted to be part of that place so much that I imagined spending my entire career there. I worked towards it, completed my medical degree, specialised in diabetology and eventually joined Apollo.

My time in the critical care unit at Apollo Hospitals, Madurai, was far removed from the ideal I had once imagined. I saw patients arrive with devastating injuries, families confront unimaginable loss and children whose lives could not be saved.

The hardest moments were often the conversations that followed. As a doctor, I had to remain composed even when a family’s world was falling apart.

I began to understand that health, time and the ordinary rhythm of everyday life are privileges we rarely recognise until they are threatened.

Critical care gave me clinical experience, but its greatest lesson was human. It taught me to value the smallest moments and never take a healthy, ordinary day for granted.

I was deeply affected by what I witnessed. Rather than allowing that sensitivity to harden, I chose to listen to it. It helped me recognise that the way I cared for people mattered as much as the medicine I practised.

Life had an unexpected turn when I met my husband who was preparing for UPSC at a conference. Though I was focused on further studies, he was certain about marrying me.

After joining the IPS and later clearing the IAS examination, he won my parents’ approval, and we began our life together. We were soon blessed with a baby, making our family complete.

Along this journey, I also discovered something profound about myself. While critical care taught me resilience, I realised my true calling lay elsewhere.

That realization led me towards paediatrics. I had once assumed it would be an easier branch than critical care, but working with children brought its own challenges.

Young patients cannot always explain what hurts or how they feel. A paediatrician must read their expressions, understand their needs and build trust, while also guiding parents through fear and uncertainty.

Many parents arrive having researched symptoms online and formed their own diagnosis. I have learnt that listening patiently and explaining clearly are just as important as prescribing the right treatment.

What makes this work fulfilling is the connection. I find it difficult to see a child as just another patient. I care for each one with the affection I would give my own child, and that warmth has become an important part of my practice.

At home, I wanted to bring that commitment to motherhood. I chose to organise my day so that I could give my profession and my family the attention they deserve.

The first half belongs to my work as a paediatrician; after school, I enjoy accompanying my child to his classes, spending time with him and being present until bedtime. For me, success means being able to show up wholeheartedly in both worlds.

There was still another part of myself waiting to take shape.

I have loved jewellery since childhood, and the idea of creating something of my own never left me.

That passion became ‘Vyaana Luxe Diamonds’, a bespoke diamond jewellery venture bringing together skilled artisans from across the country. We value craftsmanship and personalisation.

Today, I no longer see myself through one title. Medicine has taught me compassion, motherhood has taught me presence, and entrepreneurship has given me room to create. Each role has its own demands, but none requires me to abandon the others.

Life rarely follows the plan we make for it. Sometimes the hardest experiences reveal what matters; sometimes an old passion becomes a new beginning.

There is always another dream worth pursuing, and another chapter waiting to be written!”