Background and Aims: Preoperative anxiety and psychological trauma due to separation from parents before shifting to operation theatre are the major challenges in paediatric anaesthesia. Premedication in children aims at relieving anxiety and facilitates a smoother induction of anaesthesia. Melatonin (Nacetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a naturally occurring sleep inducing hormone, available commercially is used as an effective premedicant without altering haemodynamic parameters. Thus we aimed at comparing the efficacy of two doses of oral melatonin i.e. 0.5mg/kg and 0.75mg/kg as premedication in children undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia.