According to troupe member Michael John Murray from Wisconsin, a major in East Asian Studies, the Whiffenpoofs go round the world once every summer to sing their songs. This year, the group is on an Asian odyssey of India, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan and China - and later to Egypt.

"What binds the 14 of us in Whiffenpoof is our passion for music. I personally love classic rock'n' roll of the sixties and seventies," Murray said. The aspiring diplomat, who would love to work in any of the east Asian countries later, says his tenure with the band is for a year. "I joined Whiffenpoof last year."

"Whiffenpoof" Adam Johnston calls himself the rookie of the group, though he is credited with a "passable baritone". "I have been into music for the last two-and-a-half years and intend to hang on it for sometime," says the thick-set youth.

Johnston loves to travel, listen to music, sing and teach. "But I wouldn't like to do that for ever," he says.

Getting a berth in Whiffenpoof is a feat for Yale men. "Only 14 out of 35 contenders are selected after a rigorous audition. But all Whiff aspirants have to be attached to a choir in the freshman year to qualify as a wannabe," Murray said.

Whiffenpoof, according to its members, is the "toughest and stuffiest" musical platform in Yale, where "life in itself is tough when compared to the airy Harvard University", as a popular classroom snipe proclaims.

Whiffenpoof is also associated with causes. This year, it is promoting children's education and plans to donate proceeds from its world concerts to educate poor kids.

History cites that the Whiffs, as it is popularly known, began as a university quartet in 1909 that met for weekly concerts at Mory's Temple Bar, the famous Yale tavern.