BENGALURU: He may be in a white coat all day and attending to hundreds of patients in the day, but Dr Sandeep HS cannot end his day without singing. The pulmonologist, who works at BGS Hospital, equates music to meditation and believes he “cannot survive” a day without music. He took his passion for singing so seriously that he was recently featured in a song called Doctors Karma composed by Raghu Dixit.
Music is what kept him going when he was running pillar to post during the second wave of the pandemic. He was moved and upset following many assaults on health workers during the first wave as well. He says, “It was really disappointing to see many doctors falling prey to anti-social elements in the society during the pandemic. My fellow doctors and I got together and worked on a song that would highlight the plight of doctors. The aim was to serve as a morale boost to them.” With a few initial hiccups to find the right music director, they managed to approach Raghu Dixit for the project. Sandeep was one of the lead vocalists for Doctors Karma, which released in July this year.
However, recording the song was not easy. Sandeep would start his day at 9 am to and follow his usual hospital schedule. He would show up at the recording studio after his shift at night. “I would spend my day at the hospital, go on in-patient and ICU rounds, attend video consultation and then head Raghu’s studio after 9 pm. We recorded till 1 am and took many takes. It was exhaustive but it helped me to unwind after a stressful day,” says the doctor who draws inspiration from legendary singer SP Balasubramaniam and doyen actor Dr Rajkumar.
Sandeep, who has had a passion for singing ever since he was a child, always had the support of his family. And that extended to his talented actor wife, Dr Supriya Sandeep. Working as a pathologist at Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research, Supriya has never shied away from participating in cultural activities.
Her latest project involves the play ‘Path Performers’. On Monday, she submitted the recording of the play that centres around the adverse effects of drug consumption. “I have essayed the role of a patient who consumes weight loss products. We performed the play as part of pharmacovigilance week. I have also acted and scripted plays centred around pathology and performed to a script for Women’s Day — all of which were hosted by the institution,” says Supriya.
While both pursue different creative interests, they complement each other while they are at it. “My wife offers great insights about music. She helps me analyse the high and low pitches while singing. I, too, help her out in scripting plays. As doctors, we believe it is high time to pursue our passion and stay abreast creatively during these trying times,” says Sandeep.