a.m.: Banker, p.m.: Rocker

As the night rolls on, one wonders why Mohan doubles as a banker when music is so obviously his big strength. ‘‘There’s no way I can lose one for the other,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s a great balance, banking is for my mind and music for the heart.’’

Mohan’s precisely-executed switches from his 6 am mridangam practice to his life as a banker and jamming with pals after hours, might place him in an extraordinary light. But he’s no exception.

If you’re a regular at Mumbai’s Not Just Jazz By The Bay, on the corner plot of Veer Nariman Road overlooking Mumbai’s breezy Marine Drive, you’ve surely spotted those striped shirts with loosened ties, grabbing the mike to croon their favourite college singles. But the Karaoke nights are not just about sophomoric fantasies. This is the watering hole for bands like One Night Stand too. One Night Stand? Yup, that’s what it was going to be for this five-member band, when they jammed here for the first time 10 months ago. And though they play Led Zep like a dream and get you up with their Lynard Skynard covers, that’s not their only achievement.

Drummer Rahul Malhotra, 31, is the guy behind the Tide and Surf Excel price slashes. Music for this country marketing manager of Procter & Gamble and his band started as a college fling. They founded rock group Parikrama in 1989 at Delhi’s St Stephen’s College. When Malhotra moved to Japan after an MBA, he severed ties with Parikrama, but not with music. He soon found place with a band in Japan as well.

Back in Mumbai last year, it was a rekindling of an old friendship with college buddy Kartik Chintamani, 32, now an executive producer at music channel MTV, that got them jamming again. Regular sessions at Chintamani’s house in Bandra followed, with Malhotra drumming on a milk saucepan and Chintamani singing their favourite numbers and strumming his acoustic guitar. It was time to form another band.

‘‘Word of mouth is what got us in touch with Shagun Harit, 30, a business development manager with Mastek (an IIM, Ahmedabad graduate and a Mensa champion too) for playing rhythm, Ferzad Veriyava, 29, a copywriter with Ambience Publicis Advertising playing lead on the guitar and NS Padmanabhan, 32, (or Poopsie), a software engineer with Creative Global Services on the bass,’’ says Chintamani, introducing the rest of the band.

Passion for music is what got Mohan and One Night Stand to the stage despite crazy work schedules and accelerating responsibilities. But there are also a cluster of musicians who have been forced to drift into various professions to make a living.

Till 1997, it was only fiery rock shows for ‘Koko’ Kaustubh Dhavle, 34, lead guitarist of Agni. ‘‘But when I told people I was a musician, they would insist on asking me what I did for a living,’’ says Dhavle. So even though it was Agni that got him his car and house, Fineart Productions, his event management company, was born as a more socially acceptable profession.

‘‘Getting full-time into music often forces a musician to compromise on quality or delve into various genres of music which might be commercially viable but not aesthetically pleasing to the musician,’’ feels Subeer Malik, 33, member-cum-manager of Parikrama, who joined his family business dealing in spare motor parts the same year he helped form the band. ‘‘It has also taught me the art of time management,’’ he claims, as he continues juggling his numerous businesses with ease—managing music bands like Silk Route, Mrigya and Tantriks, running a CD and tape duplication plant and Parikrama Pyrotechnics, a fireworks company.

Vayu vocalist 2blu’s (“if Farokh Balsara changed his name and shot to fame as Freddie Mercury, why can’t I?”) job as a senior technical writer with Tata Interactive Systems, was to complement the meagre income his stints with rock bands would bring. ‘‘Music is my first and last love. Nothing beats the adrenaline rush that a musician gets from playing live. So the day we cut our album with original songs, I will kiss my job goodbye,’’ vows this 29-year-old singer. His secret confession—‘‘If the choice was between a woman and my band, I’d choose the latter.’’ Jacob Paniker, co-founder of Pune-based band Strange Brew, too has hopes of ‘‘moving lock, stock, and barrel to music’’. For now, he also works as a corporate trainer and conducts behaviour analysis tests for Tasmac Management Training Resources when he’s not rocking people with his bassist at Pune’s The Jazz Garden. ‘‘When we started out in 2000, there were very few concerts. But in the last few years, the scene has opened up so much with record companies approaching locals bands and event organisers eager to take us on international tours. So though initially it looked impossible to have a full-fledged music career, now it is possible,’’ says Jackie, planning their soon-to-happen Nepal concert.

His future plans don’t stop him from enjoying his present job though. ‘‘It’s almost like I studied behaviour analysis to understand weird musicians,’’ guffaws the 30-year-old. Agni vocalist Uday Iyyer, 30, too is having a ball making ads and jingles and copywriting for Seagull Advertising. ‘‘A job, unlike playing with a rock band, meant a fixed income, which I needed and that is when I chose to take up a job in advertising.’’ Since he’s always putting in extra work hours he has to squeeze in rehearsals. ‘‘Only to get the best of both,’’ he adds.

It’s a tightrope walk. 2blu recalls many incidents of working all day, performing till dawn, catching a few hours of sleep and rushing back to work.

‘‘There have also been times when I have failed to keep up commitments,’’ he confesses remembering Vayu’s Guwahati trip when he was delayed by two days and came back to a livid boss.

That’s not all. Messages keep beeping during performances reminding them of early morning meetings, and the wives keep complaining, as if work hours weren’t enough. But they continue to live out their dream—striking business deals and enthralling audiences—all with a fine expertise that no B-school could have taught them.

(With inputs from Madhur Singh in New Delhi and Uma Karve in Pune)