Kavery Nambisan facts for kids

Kavery Nambisan is an Indian surgeon and writer. Her experiences helping people as a doctor have greatly influenced the stories she writes. She is known for her novels and for her work in rural areas of India.

Life and Work

Kavery Nambisan was born in Palangala village in south Kodagu, India. She grew up in a family involved in politics. Her father, C.M. Poonacha, was a politician who once served as a Union Railway Minister. This meant he was a high-ranking government official in charge of railways.

She studied medicine at St. John's Medical College in Bangalore. Later, she studied surgery in England at the University of Liverpool. There, she earned a special qualification called FRCS.

After her studies, Kavery Nambisan worked as a surgeon in many different rural parts of India. She then moved to Lonavala to start a free medical center. This center was created to help migrant workers who often didn't have access to healthcare.

Today, Nambisan works as a surgeon and medical advisor at the Tata Coffee Hospital in Kodagu, Karnataka. She is also the Chief Medical Officer for Tata Coffee. She has started several important programs for rural communities. These programs help with child immunisation (making sure children get their shots) and family planning. She often speaks out about how health planning should focus more on rural areas, not just cities.

Nambisan was married to Vijay Nambisan, who was a journalist and poet. She has a daughter named Chetana from an earlier marriage.

Literary Career

Kavery Nambisan started her writing journey by creating stories for children's magazines. She wrote for Target, which was a popular children's magazine back then. She also wrote for other magazines like Femina and Eve's Weekly. At first, she wrote under the name Kavery Bhatt.

She has written several novels for adults, and each one explores different topics. Her first book, The Truth (almost) About Bharat, tells the story of a young medical student. He runs away from college and goes on a motorcycle trip across the country. This book was recently re-released.

Her second novel, The Scent of Pepper (1996), is set in her birthplace, Kodagu. It describes the life and culture of the people there, from the time of colonial rule to India's independence.

Mango-coloured Fish (1998) is about a woman whose marriage is arranged to a man she doesn't love. On Wings of Butterflies (2002) takes place during the women's movement in independent India. It follows a group of women who decide to enter politics.

The Hills of Angheri (2005) is inspired by Nambisan's own experiences as a doctor. It traces the medical career of a young woman. Her sixth novel, The Story that Must Not Be Told, was recognized for important awards. It was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2012 and the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2008.

Kavery Nambisan also wrote a story called Dr Sad and the Power Lunch. It was a joint runner-up in a non-fiction writing contest in 2003. She has also contributed stories to Indian Literature. This is a journal published by the Sahitya Akademi, which is India's National Academy of Letters.

Her first non-fiction book is A Luxury Called Health: A Doctor’s Journey Through the Art, the Science and the Trickery of Medicine. This book is based on her many years as a doctor. It openly discusses some of the challenges and problems within the medical profession.

Awards and Recognition

Kavery Nambisan received special recognition in 2005. She was named a Coorg Person of the Year.