Among them is the award-winning Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band (Malaysian Sikh Band), who won the World Pipe Band Championships (Grade 4B category) in Scotland in 2019 – the only Asian representative out of 13 countries that took part.
The band had previously competed four years earlier, when they qualified for the finals and became the first Asian band ever to achieve this feat.
They also took part last year, albeit with only five members from Malaysia this time, due to the pandemic. To make up for the shortfall, they collaborated with the Coalburn IOR Pipe Band from Scotland, in the higher Grade 3A category.
And going back even earlier, from 2014 to 2018, the band won numerous awards at the Kuala Lumpur Highland Games organised by the Selangor St Andrew’s Society.
Now, if the image of a Malaysian band playing the bagpipes on the world stage strikes you as incongruous, you would be right. So, how did this local troupe end up making history by playing an instrument that’s not even widely associated with Asian – much less Malaysian – culture?
Pipe major Tirath Singh, 25, shared that the band had been founded by his father, Harvinder, and uncle Sukdev in 1986. Both men had spent time abroad: Harvinder in Glasgow, Scotland, and Sukdev in Bristol in the United Kingdom, where they had been intrigued by the bagpipes and drums.
Upon their return, they decided to start a band, and initially only had 15 members.
While Tirath is proud that the ensemble’s 2019 win makes them one of the “first bands outside the western world to do this”, winning accolades was never the priority. Instead, Harvinder and Sukdev had hoped to make more youths interested in the bagpipes, and provide them with an avenue to spend their free time productively and develop leadership skills.
In the early days, learning the woodwind instrument was not easy. “For many years, all the band had was a book my father purchased from the College of Piping in Glasgow,” Tirath, who works as a pilot, told FMT.
Nevertheless, that didn’t deter the passionate group, and a strong bond began to develop between the young members.
“We travelled, ate, and got in trouble together! Things like that keep everyone together,” Tirath said with a smile, adding that he had started learning the bagpipes at age 12.
The band began taking part in competitions in 2014 and, over the years, have performed in cities including Singapore, San Francisco, London, Melbourne and Sydney. In their resplendent attire, they must have been a striking sight!
These days, polishing their skills has become much easier thanks to the internet. Most of the coaching is primarily done by the more experienced members, who do not mind sacrificing their Saturdays for weekly practices.
Among them is 26-year-old Sukhpreet Kaur, the band’s mid-section head, who was only eight when she joined up.
While juggling a career as an engineer, she enjoys imparting her knowledge to the younger members. “It’s a different feeling when I get to bring the kids for performances or competitions, and I see their faces light up as they aspire to continue this legacy,” she said.
Today, the band has approximately 50 members between the ages of 11 and 30, comprising bagpipers as well as bass, tenor, and snare drummers.
And in August, a team of 35 will make their way to Glasgow to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships once again. This time, they will be competing in the Grade 4A category – a prospect band member Ishveer Singh, 19, is very much looking forward to.
The software-engineering student, who has been with the band since 2018, told FMT he has been practising diligently for months. “Winning with the band is one of my dreams,” he said.
Tirath, too, hopes that the band will continue its streak and that the younger members will be enriched by the experience.
“We are Sikhs, and we are Malaysians. That’s our identity. So, when we see our flags flying among the flags of other countries, it’s a proud moment,” he added.
“What this experience means for us is the opportunity to show the world that Malaysia can be the best at many, many things.”
Learn more about Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band (Malaysian Sikh Band) on Facebook and Instagram.