It is not often that a doctor’s world of diagnoses, prescriptions and patient care finds its way into poetry. For Dr Aarathi Bellary, writing became a deeply personal form of expression, particularly while navigating grief and healing. A general physician at KIMS Hospitals, Kondapur, and co-founder of Ayu Geriatrics, an elder-care day-care centre, Dr Aarathi has spent years documenting human experiences through medical blogs. Over the past six years, that passion has evolved into poetry, resulting in two books — Billions Suns Rising and her latest, Silence Forlorn. While her first collection emerged from grief, her latest work explores healing, reflection, nature and the questions that linger within us. CE speaks to Dr Aarathi about her journey from medicine to literature, the therapeutic power of poetry and what inspires her writing.
Excerpts
Tell us about yourself and how you developed an interest in writing.
I am a general physician at KIMS Hospitals, Kondapur, and also specialise in diabetes and hypertension. I am also the co-founder of Ayu Geriatrics, a first-of-its-kind day-care centre for adults. I have been a doctor by profession, but over the last six years, I have also published two poetry books. My first book was Billions Suns Rising, (year 2022) and my second is Silence Forlorn.
Why did you choose poetry and writing as a form of expression?
I have been writing medical blogs for a very long time. For nearly 15 years, I wrote about medicine from an emotional perspective — how patients feel, their experiences and the human stories behind their illnesses. My shift towards poetry happened at a personal level. I lost my husband about six years ago, and I found myself struggling to process my grief. There was no real outlet for it because you are busy professionally, working and managing everything else. It also happened during Covid, which made the experience even more difficult. Poetry became a way for me to process that grief. What helped heal me as a person was also poetry. I could not talk about my pain all the time, so I started putting it into words and giving it the form of poetry. My first book was largely centred around grief, whereas the second is more about the journey of healing. It explores several other emotions and experiences beyond grief. I think poetry was one way of keeping myself grounded because I could write down an emotion, process it and eventually let it go. I also undertake a lot of Himalayan treks, so many of my poems are inspired by nature, the Himalayas and the experiences I have had during those journeys. Poetry has emerged from all these different aspects of my life.
Can you tell us more about the poetry books you have written?
Billions Suns Rising’s title was inspired by the Milky Way galaxy, which I witnessed during one of my treks. That moment stayed with me and eventually became the inspiration for the title. The book emerged from a lot of grief, but as I continued writing, it also gave me a sense of hope. It is essentially a collection of how I felt during that particular phase of my life.
Silence Forlorn, on the other hand, takes a more philosophical approach. Most of my poems are inspired by things I have experienced, but in this book, I have tried to leave the reader with something to reflect upon. I have left a question at the end of most of the poems, allowing readers to interpret and connect with them in their own way. For instance, I have written a poem about lost conversations and then left the reader with a question about their own lost conversations — where they are and whether they have done anything with them. It becomes a reflection that extends beyond the poem itself. I have divided the book into different sections, including ‘Birthing and Becoming’ and ‘Healing’, with each exploring a different aspect of the human experience.
Have you thought about writing a book based on your experiences in medicine?
Yes, that is actually my next project. I am currently working on it, and it is something I find very interesting. Hopefully, it will be published next year.