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Chords, classrooms, and a 35-year-old dream: The Pune boys who never stopped playing

Vineet Alurkar, a staple of Pune’s music scene, and Dhruv Bhate, an engineering professor from Arizona, stood side-by-side—just as they did as sixth-graders in 1990

2 min readPuneDec 21, 2025 10:11 PM IST

The highlight of the morning was a live performance of songs written 23 years ago—lyrics penned by younger versions of themselves, full of raw hope. (Express Photo)

By Meenakshi Jawale

On a sun-drenched Sunday morning at FC Road’s Bookbar, the clinking of coffee cups faded as the nostalgic strum of an acoustic guitar took over. For the audience gathered, it wasn’t just a book launch; it was an invitation into a time capsule.

Vineet Alurkar, a staple of Pune’s music scene, and Dhruv Bhate, an engineering professor from Arizona, stood side-by-side—just as they did as sixth-graders in 1990. They were there to launch Rock ‘n’ Roll Dreams, Indian Reality, a memoir exploring the collision between teenage passion and the stubborn expectations of Indian society.

While the book traces their 35-year friendship, Vineet was quick to share the credit with the “super-talented” hands that defined their journey. He spoke with deep respect for instrumentalists Siddharth Gupta and Kabir Nagadia, whose melodic brilliance gave their early dreams a voice. “This wasn’t just two guys,” Vineet noted. “It was a community of sound that started.”

The duo spoke candidly about the “Indian Reality”—the struggle to sustain art in a country obsessed with stable degrees. “Growing up in the khichdi of India, there is often very little space left for dreams,” Dhruv remarked, reflecting on a decade spent in industry jobs before returning to academia. Their story highlights the quiet rebellion of choosing a plectrum over a predictable path, acknowledging that while independent music can be “financially underwhelming,” its emotional wealth is unmatched.

The highlight of the morning was a live performance of songs written 23 years ago—lyrics penned by younger versions of themselves, full of raw hope. As they moved into a tribute to The Beatles, their harmonies reflected decades of shared rhythm. They may not have gained the “chauffeur-driven Mercedes” society prizes, but as Vineet aptly put it: “We didn’t get the Mercedes, but we got these stories.”

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