For artistes, art could be a means to different things, from self-expression to fame. Palak Muchhal, however, has used her singing for a bigger cause. Through her initiative, Saving Little Hearts, the singer raises funds for underprivileged children battling heart ailments, by performing at concerts. Now, the singer is funding her initiative’s 3000th surgery—that of Alok Sahu, an eight-year-old from Indore.

Ahead of the surgery today, the singer recalled how it all started in 1999 when she teamed up with an Indore-based school and raised donations for a life-saving surgery of one of its students, Lokesh Kuril. 

“Three thousand kids have found a new lease of life. I started it at the age of seven for a kid who was suffering from heart disease. Little did I know it would become the biggest mission of my life. I still have 413 kids on the list.”

The singer, known for hits like Udd jaa kaale kaava and Chahoon main ya naa, has a spate of concerts lined up, including in Delhi and Bengaluru. “Every concert I do, the whole remuneration goes towards the surgeries,” says Muchhal.

Her next step is to set up a hospital in Indore for the needy. “The [construction] is underway. It will be operational in a few years.” She adds that many hospitals support her endeavour by offering her discounts.

“Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi gives me 33 per cent discount, while Manipal Heart Foundation gives me 51 per cent discount. I have tie-ups with Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, and some hospitals in Indore. Sri Aurobindo Hospital in Indore gives me Rs 10 lakh credit. When I don’t have funds and someone needs an urgent surgery, it can be done there.”