Manickam is a gastroenterologist at a hospital in Sacramento, California.[3][5] He uses a form of stand-up comedy he calls “MedCom,”[7] on social media and in person in order to educate the public on gut health and chronic illness intervention.[5][4][8][9]
Manickam made his first video in March 2020[10] during the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes that it "all started when an NGO got in touch with me saying they wanted a video for Covid awareness. I agreed and prepared a 10-minute script in four hours. They saw the video and wrote back to me saying this was very comical and that they wanted a professional video. I was gutted because I had spent a lot of time writing the jokes. They suggested I upload it to YouTube.”[9] Manickam followed through and created a YouTube channel, uploading the video. He then shared the video with a WhatsApp group that he belonged to, and the video went viral.[10] He subsequently developed his YouTube channel, and created channels on other social media outlets such as Instagram.[7]
While the initial content of his videos focused on COVID-19, it gradually shifted to gut-health,[7] time-restricted eating,[4] mostly plant-based diets,[11] and weight loss.[3] Manickam also began to study the genre of stand-up comedy, and invented the character "Saravana Kumar” as a means of connecting with his audience.[7] He eventually began to perform his “medcom” routines in live stand - up performances in the United States, India,[5][9] and Malaysia.[12]
Manickam says that his comedic videos and live performances are his form of giving back,[10] as all funds collected from his media outlets go towards Aishwaryam Trust, Madurai (a foundation which offers Palliative care).[8]
Honors
In 2024, Rediff.com listed Manickam as one of “India’s Top Social Media Influencers.”[13]
Personal life
Manickam and his wife Priya[10] live with their children in Sacramento, California.[14]
