When Hope Becomes a Calling: The Story of Dr. Deepthi Surendran and What Inspired Us

There are some dreams that are deeply personal.

And then there are dreams that society makes painfully public.

For many couples, the desire to have a child begins as a quiet hope between two people. But when that hope remains unfulfilled, it can become something much larger—subject to questions from relatives, expectations from society, comparisons with others and, sometimes, judgments that no couple should have to endure.

For centuries, across cultures, having children has been closely associated with family, lineage and continuity. Indian traditions and literature too reflect how deeply the desire for children has been woven into the idea of family.

In the Ramayana, King Dasharatha's longing for an heir leads him to undertake the Putrakameshti yagam, after which his sons are born.

The Mahabharata too reflects the importance attached to having children and continuing the royal lineage. The rivalry between Pandu and Dhritarashtra was not merely about their own positions in the Kuru family; the birth of their children also became closely connected with the question of succession. The arrival of heirs became a matter of great significance, with the next generation destined to shape the future of the Kuru dynasty.

These stories are not evidence that every family experienced childlessness in the same way. But they reflect something that has remained deeply rooted in Indian culture: the profound importance attached to having children and continuing a family line.

When childlessness became a woman's burden

In Indian society, the burden of childlessness has often fallen disproportionately on women.

Infertility can affect either partner, both partners, or sometimes remain unexplained. Yet social perceptions have frequently assumed that the woman is responsible. Research has documented stigma, humiliation, social isolation, strained marriages, pressure from families and, in some circumstances, divorce or remarriage.

For some women, the experience went far beyond the private grief of not having a child.

They could face uncomfortable questions, ridicule, exclusion and constant comparisons with other families. In some communities and circumstances, women have even faced the threat of being replaced because a marriage had not produced children.

And perhaps the cruelest part was that the biological reality could be very different from the social accusation.

For many couples, infertility is not simply a medical condition. It can affect them emotionally and socially, changing how they experience family, relationships and society.

Science changed the possibilities

Today, thankfully, the story can be different.

Medicine cannot promise every couple a child. But advances in reproductive medicine have transformed what is possible for many people experiencing infertility.

Diagnosis can identify causes that were once unknown. Medical treatment can address some conditions. Assisted reproductive technologies have opened possibilities that previous generations simply did not have.

Science has therefore done more than create medical possibilities.

It has given many couples another reason to hope.

And this is where doctors working in reproductive medicine become so important. Their work is not limited to medical procedures. They meet couples carrying years of anxiety, disappointment and uncertainty. They guide them through difficult decisions and help them continue their journey with greater confidence.

Then we visited Dr. Deepthi

It was while preparing for the inauguration of Nisani by Anitha Creations that we met Dr. Deepthi Surendran.

We went to her clinic to personally invite her to be our Chief Guest and inaugurate our new store.

What we saw there stayed with us.

There were at least fifteen couples waiting for consultation.

We have all visited hospitals and clinics. We have seen people waiting for treatment for different illnesses. Usually, one can recognise the physical discomfort, anxiety or impatience that comes with being a patient.

But these faces seemed different.

There was something difficult to describe.

Many appeared quiet and subdued. Some seemed helpless. Some appeared weighed down by a sadness that went beyond the immediate medical consultation.

Perhaps it was the weight of years of waiting.

Perhaps it was the questions they had been asked.

Perhaps it was the comparisons with other families.

Perhaps it was simply the fear that they might never experience what others seem to experience so naturally.

We cannot know what each couple was carrying inside.

But sitting there and looking at them, we understood something that statistics can never fully convey.

What they are undergoing was not just a medical condition but was a deep personal story—of hope, uncertainty, waiting and the desire to build a family.

And this is where doctors like Dr. Deepthi matter

For every medical report, there is a couple carrying hopes and uncertainties. Every treatment cycle brings the possibility of a different future. And through all of it, a doctor stands beside them, guiding them through uncertainty, disappointment, anxiety and hope.

Dr. Deepthi is one such doctor.

Her work demands not only medical knowledge and technical expertise, but also patience and compassion. The couples who walk into her clinic are not simply patients with reports and test results. They are people carrying dreams that may have been postponed for years.

We salute her dedication to them.

Even on our inauguration day, she will be working

Our inauguration of Nisani is on Sunday, 27 September.

We had hoped that Dr. Deepthi would be completely free to spend some time with us after inaugurating the store.

But when we invited her, she told us that she had a procedure scheduled that Sunday and would not be completely free.

And somehow, that made us appreciate her commitment even more.

She is making time to be with us while continuing to care for the couples who depend on her.

For us, that says something about the nature of her work. There are couples waiting, procedures to be performed, and hopes resting on the care she provides. Yet she has still made time to be part of our new beginning.

Our own work is small—but it comes from a similar belief

There is another reason why Dr. Deepthi's work resonates with us at Anitha Creations.

Much of the material we source for our products comes from women artisans and craftspeople.

They possess remarkable skills. They know traditional techniques, understand fabrics, colours and motifs, and create beautiful products with their hands.

But creating something beautiful and finding a market for it are two very different things.

For many rural artisans, access to a market is the difficult part.

When we source their work, we are not merely buying a product. We are creating an opportunity for their skills to generate income.

We hope that, in our own small way, we can help these women become more self-reliant and continue practising crafts that might otherwise disappear.

We know that what we do is minuscule compared with the work of Dr. Deepthi.

She works with something far more profound—the hopes of couples and the possibility of bringing new life into a family.

We work with textiles, crafts and markets.

But there is a common thread.

Both are, in their own small ways, about helping people live with greater confidence and dignity.

A new beginning for Nisani

Nisani is a new beginning for us.

As we open our doors, we wanted the people who mark that beginning to represent values that we believe in.

Dr. Deepthi represents hope, compassion and an unwavering commitment to helping people through one of life's most deeply personal journeys.

Her presence at our inauguration therefore means much more to us than having a Chief Guest cut a ribbon.

It is an opportunity to acknowledge a woman whose work brings happiness into the lives of others.

And perhaps, more importantly, it is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the kind of people we want to become.

May we imbibe her compassion, dedication and unwavering commitment to her mission.

As Nisani begins its journey, we hope to carry a little of that spirit with us—by doing our own small part to empower artisans, support traditional craftsmanship and create opportunities for the women behind the products we bring to you.

That is the spirit we hope to carry forward with Nisani.