Pulling the right chords

Vineet Gupta, 35, an assistant professor of airlines and tourism at CT Institutes, Jalandhar, is actually a passionate musician and composer deep within. Vineet aka Vandy (as known in the music world) began his musical voyage at the age of eight, when he started performing at school functions.

Vineet Gupta, 35, an assistant professor of airlines and tourism at CT Institutes, Jalandhar, is actually a passionate musician and composer deep within.

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Vineet aka Vandy (as known in the music world) began his musical voyage at the age of eight, when he started performing at school functions. The stage enticed the little boy so much that he fell in love with it and went on to learn the guitar, harmonium and the mouth organ, only to compose his own music there on and entice his audiences.

A professor of tourism for the past nine years, Vineet shares, “Music is something I live with everyday—it’s my inner chord, not my bread winner and definitely not a means to an end. In 2004, my friends and I got together to form a band called Drishtee, for which I was the lead guitarist and vocalist. In 2008, we launched our debut album, Yun Akele. Our band also composed a track for the Common Wealth Games (CWG) in 2010.”

Closer home, Vineet has also been composing jingles for various local radio stations. “I had composed the London Olympics Jingle for a local radio station and on every weekend I perform at various restaurants in Jalandhar. With no family background in music, my biggest support still remains my family; my dad was the first to gift me a guitar,” he shares.The songwriter says he has just two inspirations — the nature and his beloved wife. “Over the years, I have honed my vocals and forayed into various genres. When I started, Bollywood was the only genre I pull off, then I ventured into indie rock, and today I can fuse a couple of genres together to give my audiences a musical treat!”

The guitarist would be performing with his band in Jalandhar in February 2013 at a fest. The band would perform its social song, Quit Smoking, along with some of their new compositions.