The ‘Coffee with’ series sees the Gojek team getting to know their driver-partners over a cup of coffee.

Thanks to an uncle who was also a bird hobbyist, Gojek driver-partner Premnath was introduced to the world of ornithology at the tender age of 10. Since then, he’s grown a lifelong passion for songbirds, and now keeps 3 at home.

But this is no ordinary pastime. “Having songbirds are a big commitment,” he explains, “they have to be showered every day, they eat live insects, but it’s all worth it. Their features, bodies, beaks, eyes; it’s the smallest things that make them so special.”

Premnath takes these songbirds out to quiet places in Singapore – like Zander Road and Mount Faber – where they can imitate the calls of other animals. He also brings them out for biweekly competitions. In return for all the hard work he’s put in with these songbirds, he gets melodious voices, and has even been offered money for some of them.

Between raising his 5 children and rearing songbirds, Premnath drives with Gojek for a flexible way of earning that fits his busy schedule.