New Delhi: What happens when a Yale man meets a roomful of cheering Indians on the eve of American Independence Day? They make music, sip Coke, dig into pizzas with a slice of American scholastic heritage.

The Whiffenpoofs, America's oldest all-male cappella band of the Yale University, bowled over a select group of listeners with their repertoire of classic numbers at the American Centre here Thursday evening to celebrate the 232nd anniversary of American independence.

As part of the US Independence Day bouquet, India and US also inked a fresh Fulbright Scholarship pact doubling the number of scholars and support.

Cappella refers to choral music sung without instruments. Founded in 1910, the free-wheeling band upholds one of the most celebrated musical traditions of Yale, where music is a way of life. It has 13 choirs at the sophomore and senior levels. The choir was brought to India by the American Embassy.

The 14-member band comprises mostly students of humanities, politics and arts in their final year and graduates, barely a year out of the university. Dressed in traditional long black coats with calf-length tails, satin lapels, white cravat, starched white dress shirts with pleated bellies and white gloves, the band, for an uninitiated and curious Indian audience, brought back a whiff of pre-war America. It represented early 20th century with its culture of "gentlemanly bonding" at the great seats of learning - Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford.

The songs, which have altered a little over the years to include some new scores, were mostly a mix of old American folk melodies, popular university ditties, classic rhythm and blues numbers from the beginning of the last century, old jazz and Irish ballads.