In this conversation, we hear stories from Dr. Swetha Ram, a pediatrician and poet from northern Kerala, in India. Her poem “Dear Son” is featured in Agam’s forthcoming anthology of climate literature (out later in 2021). Swetha was working in a rural hospital when Covid-19 hit Kerala. She was chosen for Covid duty and was separated from her toddler for half a year. She wrote “Dear Son” during that separation. She tells the Agam Agenda about her experience at the frontlines of the pandemic, her childhood dreams of becoming a writer, and how writing became a lifeline during the crisis. As a doctor and mother who loves to be amidst trees whenever she can, she shares her dreams for a kinder future for her son and coming generations.
