Every one of us has a range of qualities. It is up to each individual to identify their main talent and make the best use of it to succeed in life, while the other qualities remain and complement it. While one becomes a way of earning a living, the others become a way of breaking free from stress and the heaviness of daily life.
Such is the story of Indian professional golfers Sujjan Singh and Gurbaaz Mann. Singh is a golfer based in Kapurthala and is currently second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Away from golf, he has a band called “Driving Iron”. His bandmates are vocalist Gurbaaz Mann, another Indian professional golfer, who also plays rhythm guitar, and Akal Suj Rana on lead guitar, with Sujjan on the drums. They are occasionally joined by their good friend Siddharth on bass guitar. The band came into existence four years ago, but progress has been slow because the members are tied up with their work commitments.
Classic rock with a touch of folk
The band leans towards old classics and blues and composes its own songs. Its music is interesting: the members write their own version of classic rock with a tinge of folk music. All the members, who are very successful in their own fields, came together only because of their love and passion for music. “We formed the band purely out of love and passion for music. Playing golf is our profession, but music is our passion and hobby. It helps us release pressure and let out our stress. It is totally different from golf and is also very easy if you are dedicated. It is an avenue to show our creative side,” said Sujjan.
The band is against the whole idea of playing covers. The members see no reason for a band to put out a cover, as they feel a band loses its originality once it starts playing other people’s songs. “Coming out with your own compositions is so much fun. You can do your own stuff,” added Sujjan.
The band, which has an untitled album waiting to be released, says it is not driven by the mainstream. Whatever the members do is because of their love for music. “Our band is the kind of band where all the members have other priorities. On top of that, we are not looking to make our album a bestseller or to top the charts. We do it among ourselves and we are happy with it,” said vocalist Gurbaaz.
Short of funds
One more thing the members feel is holding back their progress is a lack of funds. A band needs a lot of money to play live gigs and release an album. “Funding has been a problem for us ever since the band started. A lot of money is needed to release an album. We need to upgrade our instruments, buy processors and a lot more, and we are not cricketers. I travel a lot, and each tour costs me around a lakh,” said Sujjan.
“We record at a studio called Quarter Note in Malviya Nagar. But that is not all a band needs to flourish. We need a lot of money. We also need to give a lot of time to the band. We hardly get to meet,” added Gurbaaz.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
