Book Review - There is no antimemetics division

There is no Antimemetics Division

By QNTM

Rating - 4.5/5 

I have not read such a mind-blowing novel for sometime, or maybe ever. It is like reading the Matrix or rather Animatrix. 

Book premise - There are these organisms, called memes or unknowns, which prey on your memory. So, you do not even know they exist because they alter your memory. Yet, they are everywhere. There is an Antimemetics division created to fight them. The novel is an account of how they go about fighting these unknowns.

The book is bold and full of so many ideas that it is a powerhouse of new sci-fi. Many pages blows you away. The best part is that QNTM is able to put his ideas in words that it is easy to follow. Some things makes sense and some things do not. But it is ok. Because it is not a book that is meant to be easy. 

Each of the meme (or unknown) is different. They have their own power, attack, story. There is a wikipedia like collection for each meme that has been observed. Each such entry is redacted for general consumption. Each of this wiki chaper in the book is fascinating to read. 

How do you right such unknowns ? By inventing drugs that make you less forgetting. Is that enough? No. But it could just work. That's the trick. There are chapters where these Antimemtics division agents fight these memes - sometimes they are successful and sometimes they are not. The affair is bloody. There is horror in some pages but the settings is such that it is ok. 

I picked up this book as I was walking down the street in SF and stumbled onto Dog eared bookstore. The title was intriguing and it was there in the trendy section. It was SciFi. The best sellers in US are different than the best sellers in India. Expected. One really has to scan things to understand what new is out there. 

This one was intellectually stimulating. I am so happy to have read this one. 

Movies and Series 2026

Bugonia - 3.5/5

CEO of a corporation is kidnapped by a conspiracy theorist who believes that  she is an actual alien. A typical Yorgos Lanthimos film - meant to shock you, awe you and then something. Jessie Plemons and Emma Stone are both fantastic but its the story that shocks you. There is a commentary on the corporate office workings that goes on the side and it is subtle but very well done. The ending, will not spoil it, but it is one of those - "what if we do this" and someone will say "nah, you wouldn't) but Yorgos then will double down 

Nuremberg - 3/5

Based on the Nuremberg trials, a perspective from a psychologist who is tasked to understand how the Nazi leaders think, if they have any remorse, trying to understand the why etc. Rami Malek is one of the strangest actor to be in Hollywood - very unorthodox dialog delivery, mannerisms,  he has his own style but it works. The challenge with Nuremberg or any other such movies is that if they focus on one subject, the psychologist in this case, everyone else is shown as dumb people who are not listening to the right ideas. The protagonist is the most important person who saved the trials while others were not so good. This stereotyping is there everytime. Makes this a good plane ride movie. 

Train Dreams - 4/5 

A movie where nothing happens. Slice of life movie about a man who is a wood cutter, cutting wood to make railway tracks, bridges, houses or what not. Lives next to a lake, introvert, finds a girl by chance, happily married, with kids. Lives with nature, peace, but with inner turmoil and then, as is life, life happens. Slow pace, in no hurry. Fantastic women characters - both Kerry Condon and Felicity Jones are awesome. Felicity Jones from Rogue one and Kerry (from F1, Banshies of Insherin) are amazing. Joel Edgerton's perfmance is really good as well. 

All We Imagine as Light - 4.5/5

This one won the Cannes top prize 2 years ago. Took me sometime to watch it. Woke up one day at 5 and decided to see it - what an amazing way to start the day.  It is amazing and really difficult to believe that this was made in India. Kerala nurses working in a small hospital in Mumbai and going through their life journeys and challenges. A movie of a lot of nuance and texture - many small small things add flavor and meaning to this wonderful film. The camerawork puts the city is very amazing - simple shots of Mumbai local or markets brings out the best part of the city while hides the filth, the people. It is a must watch. Chaaya Kadam is there too and one should watch all her movies :) 

I was so impressed with All We Imagine as light that I saw a lot of Payal Kapadia's press interviews, her movie inspirations, cast interviews. This one is a special film. Payal's inspirations and her art, her lens of making movies is up there with the best of arthouses. I would like to see this one again. 

The Secret Agent - 4/5

This one won all the awards last year. The Secret Agent is a commentary on Brazil corruption and institutional killing back in the 70s. It takes a lot events that happened and weaves into a fictional story of a professor who is being hunted. The 70s period is captured very well via camera. Then there is a layer of current generation who is trying to research this story and the story also is non-linear - based on the tape recording the current generation decides to listen. Some very interesting narrative devices and some very memorable characters on the side. The real world incidents chosen have an element of magical realism to it. Reminds me of the present day India in many ways. In general, the absurd cinema does not work for me, but in this case, it is based on true newspaper clippings and that adds a fun element. Good cinema.

Sheep Detectives - 4/5

I laughed so much in this movie. The rating is high because sometimes you walk in to a movie that yeah, it is going to be a timepass one-time watch movie but the sheer comedy of it makes you laugh so much that not only you forget the time but also end of recommending this movie to everyone around you and they in turn are also equally happy. I loved Sheep Detectives and will likely watch it again. It combines a murder mystery with comedy, combines real world actors with animations (sheep), combines a small town feeling with cunning - I can go on and on. I love it. 

Sister Midnight - 3.5/5

It is actually 3/5 but the extra 0.5 is purely because it was made in India. It is a Radhika Apte talent showcase film - she is outstanding. I went in to see a marital distress film but I was so surprised to see the twist and turn that happened in there. Surreal. Dreamy. The fact that this was made in India is unbelievable. Yet, it did happen and the bold cinema that it carries with has to be saluted. So much new ground is broken. The chawl space is so effectively utilized. 

Tu Yaa Main - 2.75/5

I liked the masala. The thing is when you watch so few Bollywood films that when you do watch it, it is a refreshing experience. It is part nostalgia too. The songs or romance that is without a build up is acceptable. If there is a boy and girl, they will hate each other but will fall in love. You do not question this, you accept it. Two influencers are stuck in a diving swimming pool and a crocodile is there. The first part is disconnected from the second part but so what. It is two movies at the price of one :) 

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The Boys - 4.5/5 (all season rating)

It is gory. It is madness. It is over the top. It is wild. Action, revenge. Anthony Starr (Homelander) and Karl Urban (Butcher) will forever be remembered for this series. Other cast is ok. But the highlight is the story, the premise and what an amazing social political commentary of our times. It is no kidding that we are living in a time when the exaggerated thing described in the show happens in real life and the show runners have to add extra messages to add that this is fiction. The commentary is spot on. 

The Boys ended its run after 5 seasons. Decent ending - little bit more predictable than what the series has been. I would have expected more catharsis. Online too, some fans are not too happy. But, landing an ending is never easy. I would say ending is 3/5. But the show is awesome. It is also funny - so much dark humor. The Boys is the typical American culture show - I do not think that any other country has seen so much capitalism and is secure enough to make fun of it. 

What surprises me is not that this show got made but so many folks have seen it - it is extremely gory, and liked it. Just the times that we are living in. I guess, the charm of people without power taking people with power, and to do so in style, some grandy style, makes it viral, as the V dose was. 

Daredevil Born again - 3/5 (Season 1 & 2)

It is one-time watch. Does not stand well on its own. Again, a show with lot of political commentary on our current live events. But, many things do not add up, especially the ending where Fisk gets an exile. The legal part of the show is almost gone. There is media, corruption, but the joy that should be there as the good folks take down the bad folks is subdued. Show wants to be gritty to show that good folks can not win but also wants to make a david v goliath story. It ends somewhere in the middle with some sense of flawed morales and story lines that does not make sense. Meh meh series. A 3-star only because of the nostalgia factor of what the show is . 

Remembering Nikesh

Goechala trek - 2013

I have known Nikesh from 2009. He had joined Kosmix after finishing his PhD. I had joined about 4 months ago. He took the cubicle next to me. I do not remember who was sitting there before him. We used to work on sister teams, reported to the same manager. 

If I had to name one quality of Nikesh that defined him, it would be affable. Put Nikesh in a room of strangers and after few mins, he would have friends. He would be chatting and laughing. He had an infectious laugh - loud, bold - the kind where once you hear, you would know that it is coming from a place of genuine happiness. 

His extroverted personality with my introvert one bonded over our mutual passion - events. Work was work - engaging, challenging, lot of fun. But work friends only go so far. There has to be something outside work element for folks to be called friends.  At Kosmix, we had a knitting club where one of the work-colleagues use to teach knitting, and every week we would go there to learn to knit, over delicious Dana Street roasting company coffee, and chat about life in general. It was a small group. I joined and Nikesh followed soon. But beyond knitting, Nikesh and I would go to Indian events in Bay area. We will scan Sulekha and the likes and share events with each other. 

Two events I distinctly remember - One of them is this play called Blue Mug, featuring Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranveer Shorey et al (one, two) . It is based on the Oliver Sacks' book - The Man who mistook his wife to a hat. It is one of the best events in bay area that we attended. It was well acted, performed, a subject matter which spoke about memory. Living in US, it stuck some chord with us that it is difficult but after 16 years, I still remember this play and if it is ever performed again, I will attend it. The second one a band, I have forgotten the name of the band, but they performed at a small auditorium in Bay area, but they performed songs of Bulle Shah, Kabir, and other Sufi saints. We would find translations on phone while they sang and share screen. Some images do not go away.

If I look at my 2011, 2010 posts on this blog, Nikesh features so many times. He took me to Stanford to watch Serena Williams play live - I think the only live tennis match that I have seen. We did many small hikes in bay area - Black Mountain, Mission Peak, Stanford dish etc. We also did a 24 hr hackathon at TechCrunch Disrupt and we hacked to make Evister - an event discovery platform that would later become  EventsHigh

He invited me to his daughter's birthday. I knew his wife Sujata, his other friends. We used to go to long walks after office, discuss what the company is doing well, not doing well, politics and everything under the sun.  We also would often discuss going back to India - a topic that is common amongst all desis in US.  But, often everyone would talk, few move back. Nikesh and I would sometimes talk about our hypocrisy but we knew that we have to be the exceptional cases.  

In 2012, both Nikesh and I moved back to India.  Just like Kosmix, I came few months before him. The WalmartLabs India era was very interesting for both of us. Looking back, I now know that both of us were trying to re-adapt back to India, in our own ways. Nikesh also had a family, so it was more challenging for him. Office pressure was low comparitively to what it was in US. Office became a gaming era in the afternoon - conference rooms had Catan board games, and others. What became the darling game for everyone was what Nikesh started - Bughouse - a four player chess game in which you play as partners over two boards. The game was viral. Everyone would play this game. When 4 people would play, everyone else would watch and give commentary. It was lively, noisy and a lot of fun!

Nikesh and I also signed up to go to the Goechala trek (the above photo is from the trek). We were part of the running club - RunnersHigh. Did half marathon training together. Went to Auroville to run the half marathon there. 

We were unhappy at work, not getting the right purpose/meaning. The idea to start a company came in one of those conversations. Our love of events, the broken ecosystem, was something that we would talk about a lot. That led to EventsHigh.

Both of left WalmartLabs and started working on EventsHigh a month later. I remember that we spent one evening 4 hrs to choose the name. I would say something that he would veto and vice versa. Ultimately. since both of us were part of Runners High and we loved it, we called it EventsHigh. 

EventsHigh was there from June 2014 to May 2018.  They say that you should do a startup with someone you know deeply. Otherwise, companies do not survive. How true they are. EventsHigh journey is perhaps one of the best years of my life. It may also be one of the most difficult years - but isn't it good that the best and difficult co-exist :) . In the movie Arrival (spoiler ahead), Amay Adams knows that he kid would die yet she has it. The reason is that there is so much joy in the life that is lived. To me EventsHigh is that. - there is so much joy in the experience that the challenges make up for it. The challenges are also simpler because there was Nikesh, and a whole lot of really good people - Parag, Simran, Sonal, his wife Sujata,  to name a few. 

Nikesh took the role of CEO and focussed on investor relations, product and sales. I took the role of CTO and focussed on tech, support and growth (content/SEO). We complemented . Yet, we fought. We had sometimes significant different opinions of what the company should be, what the product should do. Both of us were learning and growing.  Both of us were equally head strong :) 

Everyone who joined EventsHigh came because of their passion of events. Our socials were also events - we would go for Onam lunch events, concerts together. 31st Dec, New years eve was the biggest day/night of the year, we would be in office till 9 or 10 pm and then go home.We would take angry customer calls next day, understand which events had fights, which were poorly organized etc. We would chase sales targets in dec, see site traffic grow. A small team of folks having so so much fun. We would celebrate hard work by travel - once we went to Yercaud, a road trip. 

EventsHigh offices moved. We started at my ND Sunspurge apartment in HSR. Then, we took the apartment next to Nikesh's home in Akme. Here, at one time, his mother would comment by looking at us two that how much we fight. I won a coffee machine in some random contest and we installed it here. We then moved to Domlur, a small 2 room place. We got our own logo, sign-board. Then, we too a bigger space in HSR.  We would get threats from people that the events impact their sensibilities. Nikesh engaged with legal on this. 

One of the days in EventsHigh, we were having a serious argument, massive disagreement. We were locked in a conf room but it had glass door. Folks could see us. Voices were raised. By the time it was 430 pm. we were exhausted, likely by repeating the same thing. This was in HSR. We then said, lets go and have chaat. We went to Shubh, had gol gappe and packed chaats for everyone else in the office. A gesture to just calm both of us, take a break. Chaat was another shared joy between the two of us. There used to be this Pani puri wala outside Akme and we would often go to him in evenings. A lot of our food explorations were around chaats. On this day, after chaat, we went to home, calmed down, slept over each other ideas, and then figured out a way to work with each other. 

Nikesh and I attended various demo-days etc and presented EventsHigh. He was a better speaker than me - much more confident. Nikesh met many many investors before he got Axilor as an investor. He managed the investor relations well. We were learning the business side of our venture slowly. Eventually, after four years of EventsHigh, we were acquired by Treebo. 

The Treebo era was short. We were in non-EventsHigh roles. I went to platform and he went to data sciences. Treebo ran into its own set of challenges. After 8 months there, both of us left Treebo, on the same day. 

Post Treebo, our paths differed. I went and joined Rubrik and he joined Flipkart. Interestingly, he had offer from Rubrik but he did not accept. I had offer from FK and I said No. It is also interesting that Nikesh went back to the IC route post EH and then I went to the managerial path - both of us were playing different roles here than what were playing at EH. 

Nikesh was in HSR for few months and then shifted to Whitefield. Covid came in between and our distances started to grow more. He was busy at FK and I was busy at Rubrik. Different companies, localities widened our distance. One of the other reason for a little bit distance post EH time was that the end result was a disagree-and-commit from both of us. That came after about 6 months of massive disagreements. Some space was needed but I think Covid made it wider. 

I remember meeting at his place for dinner once. He was just promoted at Flipkart and I was asking how he was feeling. He told me that post EH, he felt that he had to prove once again the talent he had. With his rapid growth at FK, he said that he doesn't need to do that anymore. There is an acknowledgement of his talent now. When I heard him, I was stunned - this has been exactly the same feeling within me. Somehow, the EH experience, even though it had so much learning and rewarding, it was not well understood. Both of us had to start once again and both of us proved in our respective organizations. 

In his last year at Flipkart, before he resigned, I met him couple of times for coffee. I saw some changes. He was questioning his busy-ness, he told that he felt less meaning at work. He wanted to go deeper into spirituality. I attributed this to some mid-life existential thing. But I agreed that both of us work way more than what is required. We were creatures of habit.  

Nikesh passed away on Feb 19, 2026. 

When we used to meet investors for EH, or many strangers, would ask us - are you brothers? We would laugh and say no. But I can see that why folks would think like that. We were alike in so many ways. 

The last I met Nikesh was at Kabir workhop at Udaipur. Kabir, his teaching, was one of the other things that united us. He called me a day before the event, told me that he had an extra reservation, someone had cancelled. Told me to join him the next day. We looked at flight tickets and a plan was possible. He convinced me. I met him there and we had an amazing event. It is so fitting that our last meeting will happen at event. 

It is difficult to explain the void that gets created when such a thing happens. If I just stop and think the void is visible. I can sense an emptiness in me.  I know over time, life would take over and we all will move on. But I do not think that this emptiness will ever go away. I miss you Nikesh, so much. You were a good friend to me. I am lucky to have met you, known you, founded a company with you and attended so many good events and travels together. May you keep smiling and bring joy to wherever you are ! 

 

Book Review - Know My Name

 Know My Name: A Memoir

By Channel Miller

Rating - 5/5

Channel Miller was sexually assaulted within the Stanford campus by Brock Turner in 2015. She was saved by two Swedish bicyclist who saw the assault happening and intervened and apprehended the perpetrator. She was lying unconscious and had no memory of the incident. The trial started after a year and in the end Brock Turner was found guilty and sent to prison for 6 months. At the sentencing hearing, Channel Miller read out a letter which was addressed to Brock. This letter was later published by Buzzfeed and it became insanely viral. 

(If you have not read the letter, please do so now)

For the duration of trial, for roughly about 4 years post the incident, the identity of the rape victim was not disclosed. It was known as Emily Doe.  Post the rape, Channel went through trauma, lost her job,  felt anger, betrayed, blamed herself, and then managed to find her strength through her persistence. She also had a strong flair for narration, and was able to put down the impact of the impact in the viral letter. 

In this book, she decides to name herself. She shares her journey of coping up with the incident, taking us through the challenges faced by her, her support system in terms of family and friends, her attempts to cope, to go to therapy and transformation from Emily Doe to the confidence that she is able to name herself. 

The book also covers the aftermath of the trial - the judge was later suspended. It covers the role of Stanford administration, or the lack of it. The book also covers how her note became hope to hundreds, to thousands. How it was quoted by Hillary Clinton in her speech, how it was read in senate. It also brings to the current politics of Donald Trump and Brett Kavenaugh hearings. 

But above all, the book is her memoir to deal with all of things happening. What Channel has done is, miraculously, is to provide voice to the thousands of sexual assault victims and their ordeals. She has shown a mirror to the society. 

Brock Turner was a olympic level swimmer, with potential and a lot of folks had inputs on how one incident should not define him. But this one incident had defined Channel's life but that did not matter. 

““The judge had given Brock something that would never be extended to me: empathy. My pain was never more valuable than his potential.””

"Most of us understand that your future is not promised to you. It is constructed day by day, through the choices you make. Your future is earned, little by little, through hard work and action. If you don’t act accordingly, that dream dissolves.”

“They seemed angry that I’d made myself vulnerable, more than the fact that he’d acted on my vulnerability.”

“In fact I need you to know it was all true. The friendly guy who helps you move and assists senior citizens in the pool is the same guy who assaulted me. One person can be capable of both. Society often fails to wrap its head around the fact that these truths often coexist, they are not mutually exclusive. Bad qualities can hide inside a good person. That's the terrifying part.”

I survived because I remained soft, because I listened, because I wrote. Because I huddled close to my truth, protected it like a tiny flame in a terrible storm. Hold up your head when the tears come, when you are mocked, insulted, questioned, threatened, when they tell you you are nothing, when your body is reduced to openings. The journey will be longer than you imagined, trauma will find you again and again. Do not become the ones who hurt you. Stay tender with your power. Never fight to injure, fight to uplift. Fight because you know that in this life, you deserve safety, joy, and freedom. Fight because it is your life. Not anyone else’s. I did it, I am here. Looking back, all the ones who doubted or hurt or nearly conquered me faded away, and I am the only one standing. So now, the time has come. I dust myself off, and go on.”

I cried several times while reading this book. I felt her pain. I felt the slow grinding of the legal system. I saw the victim shaming, her struggles, the helplessness of her family. Her overcoming of her grief, using her voice to channel the rage, coming to terms that she has to speak up. Her immigrant background, her mother's and grandmother's grit that she inherited, her moral compass to do the right thing. Her love for all good things, her gratitude to the Swedes, her love, her fight. The book is fascinating 

Book Review - The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind (Cemetery of forgotten books #1) 

By Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Translated by Lucia Graves

When I read the first few pages of TSOTW, I thought that the book is yet to start. I am just reading an introduction here, on how the author got into writing. It starts with a first person account and the name of the narrator comes little late. The pages were immersive, vivid, It felt real. When the story kept on going, I thought to myself - how long is this introduction chapter. I looked at my Kindle to confirm this, only to realize that the novel has started. 

It hit me. My first reaction was - wow the writing is so good! Kudos to Carlos Ruiz Zafon and also to the translator Lucia Graves for this.

TSOTW follows a story within a story format. Told in first person, our narrator has found an obscure book, loved it so much that he is intrigued, and wants to know more about the book's author. It is his journey to find the author, and in the process, he traces the author's journey. His own journey and the author's journey has some similarities. The journey arcs unfold by various characters, and it is interesting how many characters are related to each other. 

The book is a fantastic read. It is a page turner. The pacing is great, characters are likable, a lot of suspense and the book takes time to reveal each mystery. But then the mystery is revealed, it leads to few closures but also adds more to the intrigue. There is no murder, yet this is a thriller novel,. There is no ghost, yet the book has shades of horror. There is no detective, yet this is a mystery novel

It is originally written in Spanish. I stumbled onto this as I was looking for a good gothic fiction to read. Gothic fiction that is not YA. TSOTW was recommended in few blogs and it being of non-English origin, I picked it up. I am thankful to have done so. 

Rating - 4/5 

TV Series review - Andor

 Andor

Created by Tony Gilroy

This review has spoilers 

Andor is all about the rebellion of Star Wars. It is the best thing to come out of the Star Wars universe. It is Star Wars without the force. When you remove the Force, then there is no Jedi, no Vader, no Sith, it is now all about an emperor who is tyrannical and about citizens who are rebelling against the tyranny. It is now a story of every fascist regime, every dictatorial govt, a story of ordinary people rising up and asking for their rights. 

Andor takes us behind the scenes. How does Tyranny work? In season 2, the whole Ghorman saga covers propaganda, manufacturing dissent, raw use of power to suppress free speech, oppression, and the greater-good.  Behind the emperor, at a planet level, at a city level, there are ordinary citizens who are following orders and participating in the tyranny with their free will and believing the BS that is fed to them. 

Andor takes us behind the scenes of how a rebellion works? How recruitment works, how planning is done, how they get money, who are these people and what drives them? How well known folks are taking risks to fund the rebellion.  When ordinary folks rise up against the tyranny, you know it is less to do with the hatred against the evil, but more to do with the love of their closed ones. 

Andor talks about sacrifice. 

Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I've given up all chance at inner peace. I've made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there's only one conclusion: I'm damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they've set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my, what is my sacrifice? I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them.

I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!

Look at the writing above. Look at the writing of the Nemik's manifesto above. Andor is a writer's show. It is at par with Sorkin's TWW.  While the acting, direction, story is great, the writing and the set-design including costumes, is at another level. The sets and costumes transport you to the galaxy, to different planets and make them believable. It is stylish.

But the writing is just another level. Let me share another example, this is the Mon's speech in the penultimate episode. 

Fellow Senators, friends, colleagues, allies, adversaries. I stand before you this morning with a heavy heart. I’ve spent my life in this chamber. I came here as a child. And as I look around now, I realize I have almost no memories that pre-date my arrival and few bonds of affection that cleave so tightly. Through these many years, I believe I have served my constituents honorably and upheld our code of conduct. This chamber is a cauldron of opinions and we’ve certainly all had our patience and tempers tested in pursuit of our ideals. Disagree as we might, I am hopeful that those of you who know me will vouch for my credibility in the days to come. I stand this morning with a difficult message. I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest. This Chamber’s hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman Plaza. What took place yesterday… what happened yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide! Yes! Genocide! And that truth has been exiled from this chamber! And the monster screaming the loudest? The monster we’ve helped create? The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Palpatine!

The other thing that is unique and great to Andor is that it is prequel to the movie Rogue One. The movie came out before the TV series. So, in a way, you know the final chapter of Andor's journey. So, when season 2 ends, its ends hit harder. Rogue one was in-turn prequel to the original Star wars trilogy. But, once I have seen Andor, all Star Wars movie feel gimmicky. The movies do not acknowledge how the rebellion started, and it gives importance to people who can leverage the Force. But, the real heroes of the rebellion are the ordinary people. Nemik's manifesto gives voice to those nameless and the faceless. 

The TV series format also allows us to spend longer with these folks, that also goes to Andor's favor. 

One of the reasons why Andor is also so popular is how much closely it resembles our current times. While the emperor is fascisct, the tyranny is carried out by ordinary people. In Andor, this means that a junior officer is recruited to infiltrate and spread the wrong information to rebels. But he feels that he is doing the right thing. This junior officer's realization that his service, which is his life, has been a lie is done masterfully. This junior officer's superior (Dedra) is the architect to sow dissent. She ends up in prison because of her own arrogance. To demonstrate her bravado, she tries to capture a key rebel enemy solo, this mission ends up in failure and she is put in prison with the allegation that she was colluding with the rebels. Dedra's superior is shown to kill himself because of his failure to spot/remove the rebels. Dedra's superior's superior is killed by the same weapon (Death Star) that he helped create. The people who work for the empire are not happy, living and doing under fear, and eventually, all pay the price of understanding that the regime is not on their side. The empire does not care about its citizens, and they are also eventually citizens. If you compare this to what is happening in the political ecosystem, how many of Donald's supporters are getting prosecuted, the resemblance is uncanny. Andor came before this. It still resonates because the story of dictatorial regimes are similar everywhere. The template is same. History is merely repeating itself. 

I have now seen Season 1 once and Season 2 twice. But, I have appetite for rewatch, multiple re-watches. The show is cult! 

Book Review - Ancillary trilogy

Ancillary Justice - 4.5/5

Ancillary Sword - 3.5/5

Ancillary Mercy - 3/5

By Ann Leckie. 

Ancillary trilogy is a space opera. The protagonist is an AI - Breq. The space is ruled by an emperor Anaander Mianaai, the emperor has cloned them into hundreds (or may be thousands of copies) to rule over the entire universe over 3000 years. Our protagonist is on the mission to kill the emperor. The emperor is on a war with herself, apparently some of her clone copies are corrupted or have ideas that are not compatible with other clone copies. The space opera is the story of Breq on how he goes about his mission.

Ann Leckie breaks many new grounds with her first novel. First, this is a genderless society and she uses the pronoun 'she' to address each character. Second, the AI itself. It is a world of Ships and its ancillaries. A ship is an AI and the ancillary soldiers are also AI connected to the ship, it is the same AI that runs the ship and has its eyes and ears across each one of its ancillary soldiers. Soldiers have human bodies and there is a painful procedure in which the human body is converted into an ancillary AI. Ann Leckie does a tremendous job to narrate this complex AI world with parallel story lines filled with intrigue. Her narration does not give away all details in one go. The other interesting bits are the language

The main character is likeable. Does things that are counter intuitive and there is a momentum in book 1 which makes it a page turner. The world building and the space opera bits are amazing.

Book two takes the story more local, fixed in one planet of the ecosystem. Introduces new characters, customs, and in general looks at the space opera from a microscopic lens. At the end of book one, both sides of the emperor are at an open war with each other. We do not know about the war or how it is playing out in the space, we are conncerned with this microcosm of what is happening in a tiny hamlet in this one planet. It was readable and good addition to the cannon.

Book three is meant to conclude this series. Ann Leckie  has no interest to close the larger emperor-emperor war. She limits her focus to this planet of book two and its nearby ecosystems.  This is an interesting take. It does not offer a satisfying end to a trilogy that many including me were looking for. 

What does not work also is that the representation of emperor is mostly villainous. The emperor has ruled the world for over 3000 years, surely they would have some good things going on to do so. But none of that is explored. 

Book three creates the confrontation between Breq and the emperor that was anticipated. However, at the confrontation, there is a plot twist which was kinda there but not completely explored either. Without spoiling, it has something to do with the alien species and its treaty with the humans. It would have been good to explore how the treaty came into place. 

The other thing that bothered me is the subservience of humans to AI. The people who serve Breq are humans and they try to behave like AI. It is a book where AI behaves like humans and humans pretend to be like AIs. I can buy the AI -> human part but the other one seems contrived. For example, at the peak of the novel, when humans try to attack the emperor, they are captured but then very next thing they are assigned city rebuilding tasks which they do without discussing any plans to get back to the war or emperor. 

Book three is an interesting read though. The new characters, specially translator Zeiak and Sphene are fun and well shaped up. World building is impressive. There are many good things going in the book. So, it is a good one time read but it does not as satisfying as I had hoped it to be. 

Movies and TV shows of 2025

 Movies and TV shows of 2025

What blew me away!

Andor Season 2 -  5/5

A show about rebellion, politics, david vs goliath. The ending of Andor is known because of the Star Wars movie that came before it. But the show is a beauty on its own. Set in Starwars universe with no mentoion of the force, that is how it should be. Just humans trying their best to push back against the evils of the empire. Characters taking their next logical step. Very well acted, directed, written with set design that is the best that has been there so far!

One Battle After Another - 4.5/5 or 4/5

I keep on oscillating between the two ratings. It is definitely good. The title itself is 5/5. The movie has a momentum and it never slows. It is so typically PTA - so original, very difficult to predict what is going to happen, and things do happen. It could be today's times or it could be 70s or 80s, such is the amazing part of the movie. Plus, the ending car chase scene on the highway - maintains tension that is amazingly well done. 

Homebound - 5/5

What a sad but hauntingly beautiful movie. It is one of those real life commentary movies that you just wish was not true but you realize deep down is that this movie is actually a better side of how bad the truth is. The ending hurts, the middle hurts, the start hurts but there is a beauty between them. A tale of friendship, love, idealism, hope is there - captures the spirit of India that very few movies can. A must see film by Neeraj Ghaywan of Masaan fame!

Adolescence - 4.5/5

A kid is murdered by another kid, both young early teenagers. How does it happen, impact on parents, how police handles it, how the school reacts. All this happens in a 4 part short series that is extremely gripping. 

Anora - 4.5/5

I did not expect Anora to be this much funny as it was. Yes, it was tragic, with a lot of sex but it had so much humanity under the hood. Humanity came from unexpected places and it was heart warming. Plus, the social commentary that comes with the subject matter itself was very well handled. 

What was good!

Sinners - 4/5 

Horror movie with a lot of oomph! Also, a lot of music. It is the music that carries the film. Ryan Coogler - Michael Jordan duo never disappoints. 

Slow Horses season 5 - 4/5 

I love the humor of Slow Horses. That it is a thriller action series is bonus. Love the characters, love the arcs, extremely well done. It is amazing that I do not mind re-watching the series as well. 

A man on the inside - season 1 & 2 - 4/5

Sign me up for anything that Michael Shur (of Brooklyn 99 fame) makes. And if it has Ted Danson in it, then it has to be savored. Everything about this show is good. Michael Shur has a unique talent of creating fictional situations and then having characters have honest dialogue with each other. Such honesty and absurdity combination is a treat to watch. 

Bear season 4 - 3.5/5

At this point, the Bear seems to be on auto-pilot. We know the characters, we know what drives them, their backstory etc. So, all the Bear has to do is to make them follow the next logical step and each one is doing that. This season was a redemption season - Bear goes to Molly, goes to his mom, Sydney says no to new restaurant offer etc etc. They didn't screw it up, so overall a good watch. 

A house of dynamite - 3.5/5

I have a soft spot for political thrillers. In AHOD, there is a missile coming to US, of unknown origin. What happens next ? How does military react, how does politicians react, it is done in a Rashomon setting. A good time one-time watch. 

Blackbag - 3.5/5

Steven Soderbergh has an art of making films and I dig his art. Marriage + espionage has been tackled in the series The Americans, in a action-comedy like Mr and Mrs Smith. In Blackbag, Steven brings his own flavor of style and grace and makes it a really good one time watch. 

Weapons - 3.5/5

There are very few actors which make you watch a film because they are in it. Julia Garner for some reason does it for me - she brings mystery to her portrayal that it is difficult to ignore. Weapons is a horror film in which in one one night kids run away from their apartment and disappear. All kids belong to the class where Julia Garner is the teacher. Amazing premise for a horror film. 

The last stop in Yuma county - 3.5/5

I love these kind of diner pulp fiction movies. Ordinary characters (played mostly by unknown actors) thrown where things happen on its own, but driven by a basic human emotion, in this case, it is greed. 

Masala 

Fallout - 3/5

Wake up dead man - 3/5

Ballerina from John wick universe - 3/5

Superman - 3/5

Thunderbolts - 3/5

Lokah - 2.5/5 (could have been much better)

Life in Mar 9 to Dec 26 2025

Writing a Life-In post in the last week of Dec is equivalent to a year-end retro post. So, this is what it is going to be.

2025 didn't turn out the year it was supposed to be. At-least the way I was expecting it to be. If you had asked me in Jan'25, what would this year look like, I would have said peaceful, healthy, balanced (between work and life) but it was far away from it. The pursuit of balance is an endeavor now that will continue in the next year. 

So, what happened in 2025 then? One of the metric that we have been using to track is how many nights have I spent outside home. It is a proxy metric that captures travels and the quantum of it. In 2025, I had 

• Trip to Bandipur - 1 night
• (Work) 5 trips to Pune (1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 nights) - 10 nights
• Trip to Udaipur to attend Rajasthan Kabir Yatra retreat - 1 day
• Trip to Mumbai - 2 nights
• Trip to River Tern (Papa's 70th bday) - 1 night
• Trip to Wayanad (Kanishka's dad's 80th bday) - 3 nights
• (Work) Trip to US -1 - 15 nights
• (Work) Trip to US-2 - 11 nights
• Trip to Japan - 10 nights
• (Work) Trip to EU - 10 nights
• Trip to Bekal - 2 nights
• Trip to Delhi (Buaji's 75th bday) - 1 night
• Kannur at the start of the year - 4 nights
• Stargzing + camping event - 1 night

Total - 72 nights. Out of which 46 are work related. 

Note - the above does not include the Peru trip that was planned and later cancelled. 

Each one of them in isolation was a good call. But, collectively, this is a lot of travel. 71 are just nights, if you add the days at the start/end, add jet-lag, it clearly had an impact on 90+ days. 

The other thing that happened in 2025 was health was not prioritized. The second stint at Kannur was meant to kick-start a healthy year but it soon fizzled out. I was also sick a lot this year, most so during second half. 

• Post US-2 trip, developed a back spasm and had to cancel the Peru trip. Still dealing with it. 
• Bekal - developed some stomach infection, had viral cramps and then had to come back via ambulance. 
• Had atleast 2 bouts of Flu - one during the June Pune trip. 
• Have taken at-least one sick leave each month from June - Dec. 

The travel and sickness impacted my wellness plans - 

• I was part of Base fitness till Apr - attended it partially and then finally gave up. 
• May - Aug - almost nothing. May was spent at home doing nothing to recover from US trip and plan for Japan. June was Japan+Delhi+Pune. July was River-Tern. Aug was Pune. 
• Joined Liftr in Sept, attended 2-3 weeks. Then Wayanad, Pune and later EU trip took over. 
• Re-joined Liftr in Dec 2nd half. 

While we write about the good things in the life-in series, sometimes it is equally important to document the not-so-good things. At the year-end, I am writing while I am having back spasm that is refusing to go away it seems and some dry cough. This year, I crossed 40 birth year and now the realization is coming that the body at 40 can not be treated like a college kid. Cancelling a very well planned trip is painful but in hindsight, it has been a good decision. Have been regular to the gym this past week and I have slept a lot to recoup some energies. Started MBSR meditation course. Finished a book, writing blogs and deciding to take things slow. 

With that reflection done, here is what gave me joy - 

Kanishka and I decided to do book-dates - go out to a cafe and read books. Kudos to Kanishka for coming up with this idea! 

Attended a star-gazing event. Went to see the farmland at Denkanikottai and on the way back, Kanishka booked a stargazing camp event. Saw okay-ish stars. The mattress inside the tents made the tent very cozy. Took lot of pics :) 

With Abhishek, Sonal, we did a HSR thindi car-walk - Was meant to be a walk but since it was raining, we ended up visiting places by car. Places visited - Meddi-Messina food truck (27th main), Ooran tiffins, Godavari cafe.  

We continued out Diwali ritual and made Boondi laddu this year. Tried two recipes. Funny story - when we were making it, we were also tasting and our mouths became so sweet that when the laddus were done, we thought that they are not good. But after a day, when we tried the same laddus, they tasted like amazing. Friends, family loved it as well. 

Played board games with friends - 

In more randomness, tried a goatee look for a month and colored my hair 

I typically do not post any of work-pics but breaking this. Went to Bengaluru Oota company for a team dinner social. Amazing food! 

From the travels - 

Trip to Mumbai - 

• Visited Khao galli 
• Went to NMACC (Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural centre) - Saw the fountain show, an art museum.
• Walked on the Marine drive and went to Pizza by the bay (with stomach full unfortunately)
• Small early morning hike with Nikesh. 

River Tern - 

A 30+ group to river tern out of which 18 folks were 60+. Everyone enjoyed. Hired a bus and a car. Everyone was on time! River tern never disappoints - be it Safari, food or stay! 

Wayand trip 

Always good to visit the same place after some years have passed. Visited Wayanad exactly 10 years later. There are more museums, the Banasura dam is way more organized, there is a bus service to take it to the top, lot more touristy as well. 

Udaipur - Kabir Yatra - 

Big thanks to Nikesh for the push to attend this event. He even paid for it. Loved the experience. I feel that such experiences are needed to slow you down. The music performances were awesome, but equally good was interactions with the artists over dinner. The event was organized very well and encouraged you to loosen yourself and go with the flow. We are so self-conscious so much of the time. One such activity they had organized was a dinner social where two people were paired together. The catch is that the other peson will feed you. Yes, literally feed you - they will get the food from buffet, and break it down to morsels and feed you in the mouth. So simple activity yet felt so uncomfortable till you get used to it. 

Also, the stay was at a very nice Udapur resort - Yaan Udaipur which is a 5-start property. Stay was lovely. 

Delhi trip 

Always good to meet all relatives in one place.

Trip to Japan - Part one and part two 

Trip to EU

Trip to US - 2

Whilst it was a work-trip, many interesting things happened and I am grateful to each one. By far the bet highlight was April inviting us to her home where she had her annual tradition of singing Christmas carols. Such a lovely, warm tradition and I am so thankful to her for inviting us to be part of this experience. 

Had a morning free before the flight, so walked the Mission street and clicked few murals. Also, visited the datacentre and saw where the physical servers are placed. One one weekend, hiked the Arastedro Preserve 

Also, someone tried to break into my car and cracked the rear car window. Got lucky to survive it. 

Books read / heard

Omar El Akkad's One day everyone will have always been against this - By far the best book that I have read last few years. High praise. 5/5

Wolf Hall and Bring up the bodies by Hillary Mantel 4/5

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn Williams

I liked it a lot. A cautionary tale of our times. Deals with tech, deals with the time that I have lived, seen it shape and not all of it is for good. May write a detailed review of it. 4/5

Ancillary Justice:  (Imperial Radch Book 1) by Ann Leckie. Going to finish the trilogy and write a review. First one is very different, to narrate this complexity is no easy task. 4/5

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson - Audiobook. Good masala thriller book.  3/5

Serial - Season one - A true-crime podcast 5/5 Supposedly created the genre of true-crime. Based on a true story which is as bizarre as it can be. Very very well made. 

EU trip 2025

7 countries, 10 days. Work trip. Late-Oct, early Nov timeframe. Not the ideal time to visit

Itinerary - 

• Sat, 25 Oct - Land in Helsinki, Finland  
• Sun, 26 Oct  - Day trip to Tailin, Estonia via Ferry
• Mon, 27 Oct - At Helsinki. Evening - leave for Oslo
• Tue, 28 Oct -  At Oslo. Evening - train to Stockholm Sweden 
• Wed, 29 Oct - At Stockholm, Evening - Flight to Frankfurt, Germany
• Thu, 30 Oct -  At Frankfurt. Evening - train to Amsterdam
• Fri, 31 Oct -   At Amsterdam
• Sat, 1 Nov -    At Amsterdam. Evening - Train to Paris, France
• Sun, 2 Nov -   At Paris
• Mon, 3 Nov -  At Paris. Evening - Flight to BKR

Interesting points -

Helsinki - 

Not much to do in the main city. Though city walks are lovely. Did not explore much. Our hotel - Hotel Hobo, was really good! Visited cafe Fraser, just opposite the hotel which has been there for close to 150 years. Walked a lot in the city. Great city to walk ! 

The above is inside the main cathedral at Helsiniki. The round sphere is a replica of planet Mars, where each cm represents 10 km of Mars surface. They had hosted this within the cathedral which was interesting. 

Tailin, Estonia 

Lovely day trip from Helsinki. The ferry ride was awesome. Barely missed the ferry ride, one has to be 30 mins before the departure gate closes. Tailin is a old-style European city. Hugely hit by war, but not reconstructed to have the old city feeling. We did a old-city walking tour and did a quick stop at Museum of Torture - the highlight of the trip. The city is a great one to walk on. The walk was informative. 

Would recommend visiting here!! 

Oslo and Stockholm - No sightseeing and no photos. It was pure work

Frankfurt, Germany 

We had about 90 mins before our train to Amsterdam. 90 mins are good to enjoy a quick walk of the city

No Frankfurt trip is complete without this iconic place :)

Our train to Amsterdam was cancelled. We ended up going from Frankfurt HBF to Frankfurt-Airport station -> Koln (Cologne) Germany -> Amsterdam (via Rotterdam). We got a fellow passenger who was also taking the same route. It was good for strangers to interact.

Amsterdam - 

Once the work was over, we went to the downtown and explored the market there. The market was lively. Christmas lights were on, a pianist was playing at the square, people were happy. Seemed good to see explore this. We just walked and ate. Had Dutch pancakes, stroopwaffle, bought souvenirs, cheese. 

Next day, we took a day trip to country side to see windmills, cheese making store and show making workshop. Good fun day trip. 

We got a scare in our return to catch the train to Paris. The taxi driver was really smart and we had to run to catch the train. I was almost convinced at a point in time that we would miss it. 

Paris, France

We had a day and we did the walking tour along with just walk to Eiffel Tower. Walking tour was good, it was raining. Walking Paris was fun! We also saw the place where Princess Diana died. Also, visited a museum which was free of cost and saw Mattise's famous Dance painting. Had lunch at a bakery. Dinner was at a vegan restaurant called Maslow (interesting but okayish).