I was watching “Rain Man” on Saturday evening on TV, and my mind wandered back to 1988. Its a year I probably remember more clearly than any other. That is the year I graduated from IIT and went to New York(Columbia University) for my Masters. It was the year I left home to become independent. The first semester at Columbia was full of challenges, and in between there I still remember some of the movies I watched. Two stand out: Rain Man and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. (A third memorable movie of the time, Dead Poets Society, came in 1989 around the same time while I was studying at Columbia.) Even 20 years later, I can watch all of them again — many times over.

There are two years when I “grew up” — 1984 when I entered IIT, and 1988 when I went to the US. Both took me away from home into different worlds, creating many memories that are still etched in the mind. There was a carefreeness about life then,  with little worry about what was to come. It was almost like how Abhishek lives life today — in the present, here and now, enjoying every moment.