Singing was just a hobby for 60-year-old Ashok Chopra, father of Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra. He was pursuing it since childhood, but says now it has become an integral part of his life.

"By profession, I am a surgeon and singing is my hobby. I am singing since childhood and I conducted school prayers for 11 years. I won many singing competitions at school, " Chopra told reporters Sunday.

He was here to promote his recently released devotional music album "Haal Mureedan Da Kehna" and said he sang for the joy of singing and it gave him mental solace and energy.

Earlier, Chopra had released two albums - "Kalame Ala Hazrat" and "Har Har Shankar".

"Haal Mureedan Da Kehna" contains eight shabads (verses) sung by him and composed by Surjeet Singh Parmar.

Talking about his latest album, Chopra said: "All shabads are based on Indian classical music and are from the Guru Granth Sahib. These tracks were carefully chosen with classical base and minimal use of instruments to retain the richness of the religious thoughts."

He said it took nearly two-and-half years to select and compose shabads.

"The recordings were done in the wee hours - from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. - to capture the concentration and tranquility of mind, " said Chopra.

He said that he dedicated this album for the cause of fight against female foeticide. He maintained that his daughter Priyanka was quite supportive in this initiative.

About his strong bond with his daughter, Chopra stated: "Obviously I miss spending time with her but still we try to make sure that we spend quality time together and nobody feels lonely."