Karan Bajaj
author

The unexpected success of my first book Keep Off the Grass was one of the major turning points of 2008 for me. The book will soon be made into a Hollywood movie by the people who produced the Batman movie The Dark Knight. It’s given me confidence in something I used to indulge in only as a creative pastime. I’m taking writing more seriously now. The other major turning point was the six-month break I took from April to October to backpack around the world. It turned out to be an enriching experience. In fact my next book will draw majorly from my travels through Southeast Asia, South America and the US.

Vinay Pathak
actor

Dasvidaniya was the major turning point of the year for me. The making of the film and finishing the shooting on schedule — we started on April 15 and wrapped up by June 30 — was important. It has been a very significant one because it was our first film as producers. It was a dream come true. I am now looking forward to the next picture from Lemontea Productions (our production house). Then there is the movie Straight with Gul Panag, S.R.K. and then more films with friends — Shashant Shah, Minty Tejpal, Parvati Balagopalan, Saurabh Shukla and Sagar Ballary.

Abhinav Bindra
shooter

Winning the gold at the Beijing Olympics was obviously the biggest moment of 2008 for me. It was like a dream come true. It is a huge moment in any sportsperson’s career and an inexplicable feeling. I am still unable to express that moment in words. I haven’t planned anything specific for the upcoming year but will take things as they come.

(Compiled by Promita Mukherjee and Angona Paul)