25 years of Jurassic Park

Silver Jubilee anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park movie was a trip down the memory lane. At a time when we didn't easily get permission to watch English movies, this movie was an exception, perhaps because it didn't have much of a... ahem, romance... And yet it was a complete package with action, drama, suspense and humour. The friendly Dr Alan Grant, fatherly
billionaire John Hammond, chatterbox mathematician Ian Malcolm, fat Nedry, the two cute kids, sweet-n-smiling Dr. Ellie Sattler... and of course the dinosaurs. They were the best. 

Even today, 25 years later, whenever I see ripples in a glass of water, my first thought is... Is there a T Rex around?

Raazi and Parmanu

After a long time -- in fact after more than 2 years -- I watched Hindi movies in a theater, after being persuaded (euphemism for 'dragged') by Arti.
Raazi is a story of an Indian spy that lived in Pakistan and collected valuable inside information pertaining to the impending Bangladesh war. A fast-paced script, tight editing, and a focused, linear plot ensured that there wasn't a single dull moment. Impressive performances by Alia Bhatt and supportiing cast take this movie to an another level. "Finding Sehmat", the book on which this movie is based,
would surely make for a superb reading.
Parmanu narrates the fantabulous job that our scientists and engineers did in successful detonation of a series of atomic bombs and a hydrogen bomb in Pokhran in 1998. It shows the initial aborted attempts, the revival of the team and the need to work in intense secrecy due to constant surveillance by American spy satellites. A few real-world TV clippings, featuring Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bill Clinton, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif interwoven in the plot bring back memories of those days.
It's a good movie, and it could have been even
better if it had also shown some technical aspects, such as how the components were transported, how the bombs were assembled,
and what the tests attempted to measure, at least to the extent of whatever information is available in the public domain. Instead, it places too much focus on human interactions. Nevertheless, John Abraham deserves kudos for taking up a history-science subject and making a movie for the masses.

All in all, both the movies deserve their ticket money. We need more such stuff.

Daemon and Freedom - Daniel Suarez

Do you love technology-focused, fast-paced thrillers with multiple plots converging at the conclusion? 
Did you enjoy the movie "Transcendence" but wanted the story to be on a grander scale? 
Do you feel -- or rather, fear -- that rogue artificial intelligence (AI) will one day overpower humanity? 

You should read these two novels. 

And if you are a fan of FPS and MMORPG type video games, you must definitely read them.

AI has been featured in many books and movies, but the one in these novels is truly novel, something we haven't seen before. What makes it even more terrifying is, unlike other sci-fi components that require a leap of technology (wormhole, quantum computing, time machine), this one practically exists in our modern world. The author worked as cyber security adviser to many Fortune-500 companies, and he draws on all his expertise in depicting the technical details.

"Daemon" and "Freedom" constitute a two-novel series. If you read one, you gotta read the other.

[Book] Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon

Just finished reading "Gravity's Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon. 

Spanning 800 pages, with a cast of 350+ characters and a complex plot that seamlessly blends fact and fiction about the Second World War, this novel is probably the most complicated work of fiction I have read till date. 

[Movie] Age of Ultron

Never thought I would get bored watching an Avengers movie. 

Well, the "Age of Ultron" proved me wrong.

Sherlock! Sherlock!!

What an amazing series. High production quality, top notch acting by Benedict Cummerbatch (never heard of him before this series). 

And poor Watson.. He is the recipient of some of the most acerbic lines from Holmes. Here are my two favourites so far:

You are so vacant. It must be so relaxing not being me.

Stop talking. You're lowering the IQ of the whole street.

The Lost Symbol

After the stupendous success of  The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has again come up trumps with another bestseller in “The Lost Symbol.” The novel broke all the sales records on the day it was published (15th September 2009), and continues to be at the top (or near the top) of bestseller lists.

Robert Langdon features as the male protagonist for the third time ( he was seen earlier in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, aided by a researcher in ‘noetic sciences’ (admittedly I heard of this term the first time I read the book), Katherine. Dan Brown’s penchant for power centers and secret societies continues. Angels & Demons had CERN-Vatican and Illuminati; The Da Vinci Code had The Church and Priory of Sion; Deception Point had NASA; and Digital Fortress had NSA. The Lost Symbol features Freemasons and the narrative takes place in the heart of Washington, D.C : the US Capitol Building itself.

Antagonist is a lone figure, but a unique one at that.

So, what works in the novel?

Definitely the trademark Dan Brownian blend of fact and fiction and fast paced plot. At the end of every chapter (they are short and many); you are on the edge to know what happens next. Brown presents the all-so-familiar artifacts (the Capitol building, the Smithsonian Museum) and objects (the dollar currency) in such a startling manner that one keeps on reading out of sheer curiosity and amazement.

What doesn’t work?

The plot, though interesting in specifics, is a bit repetitive overall. Also, dialogs could have been better. At times they seem too artificial and a bit overdramatic.

Overall…

It’s definitely worth a read. The book succeeds in arousing our curiosity about Freemasons and also makes us think about the potential of humand mind and body.

Personally, I enjoyed Angels and Demons the most, closely followed by The Da Vinci Code, with the  Digital Fortress trailing a short distance behind. I would place The Lost Symbol a notch above Digital Fortress, because it ends so beautifully, on a positive note.

Gently Falls the Bakula

Gently Falls the Bakula
- Sudha Murthy
Sudha Murthy is a well-known name in literary circles. Apart from being the wife of N R Narayan Murthy, the legendary software entrepreneur who founded Infosys, Mrs. Murthy has created an identity of her own as a writer. She also chairs the Infosys Foundation.
I have read a few of her books, “Wise & Otherwise” being one of them. Her stories are rooted in Indian soil and she has an uncomplicated narrative style. Gently Falls the Bakula is no exception.
The story is about a bright young man and a girl, who know each other from their school-days, fall in love and get married in spite of a family feud. Shrikant graduates from IIT-Bombay, joins a software firm and is on his way to become its director. Shreemati, though more intelligent than him, gives up her further studies and manages his house. After almost half a decade of marriage, she realizes that her husband has become too focused on his career and has no place for family matters or to think about her. Eventually, she takes a decision that leaves their family life shattered.
The novel was written more than three decades ago, in fact it was Sudha Murthy’s first Kannada novel. Hence it is difficult to surmise whether her views have changed over the years.

Nevertheless, I have some objections with the points raised in the novel.
To begin with, the couple has had a love marriage, they know each other quite well. Shreemati is well aware of the ambitious, hard-working nature of her husband, and in fact before their marriage she is proud of it. How come the same qualities turn against him after the marriage?

On the face of it, no one can deny that it is insensitive, indeed cruel, for any man or woman not to value a relationship and give it due share of time and attention. At the same time, one must take into account the practical realities of today’s work culture.
As a boy, I used to complain about my parents not giving sufficient time at home; in spite of the fact that they worked regular hours 10 AM to 6 PM, and always had Sundays and other holidays off, no matter what.
But in software industry, working 50-60 hours a week is the norm, and weekend offs is a dream that does not come true always. And not just the guys; the girls are nowhere behind when it comes to putting in long hours.
The point is: Would Mrs. Shreemati have held same views about not giving enough time, had she been working too? As per my opinion, there is never anything like giving ‘sufficient time’ at home; you may spend all the weekends at home every month, and yet the family members are more likely to complain that you do not give enough time during week-days!

Lastly, I find it difficult to justify her final decision. To say, “I expected these things from you, but you didn’t deliver, so am calling the whole thing off”, is more suitable for a business deal, but not for a relationship; especially one based on love and trust. Relationship is about giving the other person a chance to make up for the mistake… if he/she doesn’t wisen up even after you have pushed the matter in face, walking out of the door is not only advisable, it is strongly recommended.

I was glad to read this novel; it has definitely given me something to think about. Thanks to my office-colleague who shared the book with me!

[Book] The Catcher in the Rye

Very few fiction books leave the kind of impact that The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger does. But then, very few characters are as weird and whacky as Holden!
The narrator, Holden Caulfield, is a troubled teenager who has problems at school, at home and almost everywhere. He finds it difficult to get along with almost everybody, for he thinks they are phonies. The only exception is his younger sister, Phoebe, whom particularly adores. Another soft spot in his heart is his first crush, or perhaps love.

To some extent, Holden reminds one of Christopher Boone ( from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time); but unlike Christopher, who is an autistic kid, Holden has his wits about him; only that he uses them to pass sarcastic judgments about the people he comes across. He makes some very accurate, if uncomfortable, observations about world.
The Catcher in the Rye makes for a fascinating read. It makes us aware of hypocrisy that goes around all the time, and the importance of being earnest. The language was considered scandalous by 1950s standards, when it came out, which resulted in many colleges banning it for years. Today it has become something of a cult book, for every one of us can identify ourselves having same thoughts as Holden at some point in our life.

The book ends on a very interesting note; in fact I consider the line is something of a gem.
I am so glad to have this book in my personal collection, all thanks to RVP.

[Book] The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Well, I read this book last weekend.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
David Fickling Books (a division of Random House)

When I picked up the book and read thru first page, the style of the author seemed funny--short sentences, precision where you would least expect it-- and, interestingly fresh. That's the reason I bought it.

The book is in first person, and as Christopher Boone, the narrator puts it, is intended to be a murder mystery. Christopher is a 15-year kid, with a photographic memory and amazing abilities in math & science. One night, he finds his neighbour's dog killed. Being a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, he decides to become a detective and solve the murder mystery. What unravels is a amazing journey that touches math, science, psychology, philosophy, literature in most amazing ways.

A few pages later, it becomes increasingly clear that the book isn't that funny. The humour-- and there's plenty of it-- arises out of an autistic boy's perceptions of things and events around him. On one hand, you feel like laughing out aloud, but on other hand, your heart reaches out for the boy who seems unaware of the most basic realities of the life. You also realise the difficulties that the parents of such children have to go through.

Do try this book at least once. I read it twice in a single day. It made my journey of 800 kms much bearable.