The doctor who moonlights as a singer

At 61, Dr S Premachandran runs a 40-bed hospital in the day time and after 7 pm leads a band of 20 members.

In 2010, Dr S Premachandran had a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery.

After the surgery he decided that he must explore his artistic side.

In his college days he had won medals in singing competitions. He did not want to take to his grave 150 songs he still knew by heart. The ones he had listened to on Radio Ceylon in his school days.

So, at 61, we have a doctor who runs a 40-bed hospital in the day time and after 7 pm leads a band of 20 members.

Dr Premachandran's singer friend C N Soundarajan heard the songs and recorded them on a digital track. Meaning, he used to play each instrument used in the song on an individual digital track and record the song again leaving a blank for the male voice.

Dr Premachandran's voice filled in the blanks.

This recording has been playing on Captain TV for the last three months and it will continue for another two months.

The band is called Premaganam, which is also the name of the show on Captain TV.

The band can be booked for Rs 60,000/Rs 70,000 for a three-hour show depending on how far located you are from Tirunelveli.

"After paying everyone there is about Rs 10,000 left over," smiles the good doctor.

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Dr Premachandran was born in the small village of Subramaniapuram, near Sathankulam in the Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. He graduated from St John's College in Tirunelveli and then went to the Government Medical College in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu.

He has earned four degrees -- BSc, MBBS, FCGP and FCD. He is a specialist in diabetes. His wife is a gynaecologist, his son has specialised in orthopaedics and his daughter-in-law is a paediatrician.

He started his clinic in 1980 and two years later expanded it into a hospital. The medically qualified family works together in the 40-bed Selvam (which means wealth) Hospital in Melapalayam, Tirunelveli, helped by three other doctors.

"I used to love singing in school. I used to listen to Radio Ceylon in my free time. I loved those songs and used to memorise them easily. Even today I never use a song book when I am singing on stage.

"After my bypass I decided that I had to de-stress and what better way than by doing what I love most -- singing. After my interactions with C N Soundarajan and getting my favourite 150 songs on tape, I decided to form a band," says the energetic doctor.

The band came into existence two years ago. Dr Premachandran's routine is to spend the whole day in hospital, then at 7 pm he goes for a walk and then practices singing.

"Most of my shows are in the evening, and if one is in the morning, I will spend my evening in the hospital," he says.

Few of us are able to combine what we love doing with what we do for a living. This 61 year old has done that successfully.