Doctors and health practitioners are right at the frontline of the battle against Coronavirus. And they are also thinking of ways to boost the morale of co-workers and patients. So if doctors in Iran came up with dance video clips to put a smile on the faces of their patients, Dr. Jason Campbell, an anaesthesiology resident at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, has gone viral on TikTok for his dance moves with fellow doctors.
Closer home, 23 lady doctors of SK Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram put their best foot forward for a dance choreographed by their colleague, Dr Sharanya Krishnan, an anaesthetist.
The idea was conceptualised by another anaesthetist Dr Kukku Govindan. “She asked me if I would choreograph the popular song ‘Lokam muzhuvan sukham pakaraanayi….’,” says Sharanya.
Sung by S Janaki in the 1972-Malayalam film Snehadeepame Mizhi Thurakku, directed by P Bhaskaran, the song was in the news recently when 21 playback singers led by KS Chitra and Sujatha performed it for a video that was posted on social media to boost morale among listeners.
“The same song was sung during an anthakshari round in our family WhatsApp group. As I looked at the lyrics written by none other than P Bhaskaran, I was moved by the meaning of the verse. It talks about the light that removes darkness and the light that shows the right path to keep the world safe. It seemed so apt for the times we live in,” says Dr Kukku.
So she and Sharanya put their heads together, decided to choreograph a cover version and suggested the idea in their Whatsapp group for doctors of SK Hospital. The lady doctors were all game. By the same evening, Sharanya, dance guru Girija Chandran’s niece, choreographed it and sent it to the group.
Joining hands
The duo requested everyone to study a portion of the dance they wanted to perform and shoot it at home. “We have doctors between the ages of 25-plus and 60-plus. All of them were enthusiastic about it. Since staggered timings are in place in view of regulations to slow the spread of COVID-19, none of us have met each other in person for some time now. The ones who knew dance did a step or two while the senior doctors lit lamps or diyas. In the group are gynaecologists, paediatricians, surgeons, consultants… Within two days, the video was ready. It was all done by us, the shooting and the editing too,” says pulmonologist Dr. Padmavathy.
Dr Kukku adds, “We shared it with our MBBS batchmates and soon we started getting it back from other friends. That’s when we knew it was a hit.”
