In early January, I had attended a musical program by Drishti Foundation featuring hit songs from the 1990s. As the familiar tunes filled the auditorium of Dinanath Mangeshkar Natyagriha in Vile Parle, each melody triggered cascading memories – of movies watched alone, and later, many with Bhavana. Sitting there, I found myself reflecting on a decade that transformed me from a corporate employee to an entrepreneur, from single to married, from dreaming to doing.
The decade had begun with me working at NYNEX in White Plains, living the American corporate life. But there was always my father’s gentle deadline hovering: two years in the US, then back to India. In May 1992, I booked that one-way Singapore Airlines ticket home – San Francisco to Mumbai via Seoul and Singapore. I still remember that day in Singapore, walking its ordered streets, perhaps unconsciously preparing myself for the chaos and opportunities that awaited me in Mumbai.
India welcomed me back with its characteristic bureaucratic embrace – my computer exceeded the “transfer of residence” value limits, and I had my first lesson in navigating Indian regulations through customs duty payments. It was a fitting introduction to the entrepreneurial journey ahead.
The early years tested everything I had. Multiple ventures failed, and in the midst of this turbulence, Bhavana and I had an arranged marriage in December 1993. I remember watching “Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke” with her during our engagement period, its enchanting soundtrack becoming the background score to our early days together. While I was finding my entrepreneurial feet, we found common ground in Hindi cinema. Bhavana wasn’t just a movie buff; she had an almost mystical ability to write perfect movie reviews for IndiaWorld after its launch in 1995, sometimes without even watching the films – she just knew.
The decade that began in an American suburb ended with the landmark sale of IndiaWorld to Sify for $115 million. Sitting in that auditorium, as each 90s song played, I realised how each melody marked a milestone: the uncertainties of early entrepreneurship, the warmth of a new marriage, the excitement of building IndiaWorld, and finally, the sweetness of success.
Looking back, the 1990s weren’t just a period of time; they were my crucible of transformation. Each failure, each movie watched, each venture attempted, each song heard – they all contributed to making something from nothing. Not just a business, but a life.
