LIFESTYLE
Author Vikram Chandra's personal, idiosyncratic rumination on his double life as fiction writer and computer programmer is also testimony of how, and why he came to write his novels
Book: Mirrored Mind
Author: Vikram Chandra
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 272
Price: Rs499
The computer, for most of us, is just an aide, helping us write, do sums and make presentations.
So we would probably be forgiven for being a little nonplussed at the premise Mirrored Minds starts off with: that computer programming code can be elegant or beautiful, and those who write them are creative artists, akin to painters and authors.
No, Vikram Chandra is not being whimsical, esoteric or difficult. The idea has some precedence and he refers to some venture capitalist and programmer Paul Graham’s essay ‘Hackers and Painters’ which posits a similarity between the two groups saying both are trying to “make good things”; computer scientist Butler Lampson’s essay ‘Programmers as Authors’, and Donald Knuth, of The Art Of Computer Programming fame, who once described a programme saying, “reading it was just like hearing a symphony”.
But that’s only the start of this slim volume which Chandra says he embarked on as a break from the book he’d started writing after Sacred Games (2006). “I have been thinking of writing about the culture of computer programming for years and years. I thought that I’ll write a quick little essay, a glossy magazine essay, quickly done, quickly published and get back to my work. I started writing and it just blew up,” he says.
At its core, Mirrored Mind is Chandra’s personal, very idiosyncratic rumination on his double life as fiction writer and computer programmer. The fascination with computers began at film school in Columbia when the company Chandra worked part-time for as a medical transcriber got PCs for all its employees. The ease with which Chandra could do his assigned tasks on the machine, and tinker around with the systems to further minimise effort had him hooked early. Soon he was reading up books on hardware and software, and trouble-shooting for colleagues and friends something he loved doing and also got paid for.
Chandra’s “very passionate hobby”, thus, not only kept him in some comfort during the grunge years in university and when he was writing his first novel, the acclaimed Red Earth And Pouring Rain, but also allowed him to make biannual trips to India.
But it would be a lesser book if it were only about computers and programming code. Mirrored Mind is also Chandra’s testimony of how, and why he came to write his novels the way he did; his worldview and literary influences; and a meditation on the act and art of creation/writing itself: “Writing sentences felt like construction...You put each word in place, brick upon brick, with a shimmery sense of what the whole edifice would look like, the shape of the final thing.”
Chandra’s chapters and arguments flow intuitively, through association rather than logic, as he harks far and wide through ideas and philosophies across cultures, one thing leading to the other. Searching for first principles, he ventures into a detailed exposition of how it is that computers do what you command them to, a passage, almost out of a maths, or computer science textbook, full of difficult terms as “logic gates”, “truth tables”, “base-2 system”, Babbage’s Difference Engine and so on I confess that I switched off after a point. But then he reaches even further back to Sanskrit and Panini’s Ashtadhyayi and thereon, in another long digression, to an analysis of Abhinavagupta, Anadavardhana and pre-modern Indian aesthetic theory of rasa-dhvanis, and finally tantric thought.
The connection between programming language and Sanskrit linguistics is familiar territory, something scholars have tracked exhaustively, but how are the mysterious practices and sexual rituals of the Kapalika and Kartabhaja sects fascinating though they are germane to the central argument?
Last Supermoon of 2024: Know when and how to watch it and other details here
Noida man arrested for creating ‘cannabis nursery’ inside house after being inspired by…
Actor John Krasinski named 'Sexiest Man Alive 2024' by People magazine
Meet outsider who worked in bank for eight years, became OTT star, will now star opposite Kajol in..
What is wedding invitation scam, how to protect yourself from it?
Arjun Tendulkar achieves rare feat which father Sachin Tendulkar never did in his 25-year career
Mukesh Ambani suffers Rs 12548 crore loss after buying Star from Disney, here's how
Ananya Panday sets Instagram on fire in sizzling bikini; BFF Suhana Khan, mom Bhavana Pandey react
International Trade Fair 2024 in Delhi from Nov 14: Know ticket price, timings, venue and more
SA vs IND: Varun Chakravarthy eyes Ravichandran Ashwin's all-time India record in T20Is
This govt company sold Rs 28880000000 shares of Ratan Tata firm, reduces its holding to...
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI hits 'Severe' category, record high in India today with 418
Tesla CEO Elon Musk spreading misinformation on X? His own AI model says...
Independent candidate slaps SDM outside booth during Rajasthan bypolls, watch video here
Viral video: Vistara crew bids emotional farewell on last flight before merger with Air India, watch
NBR Group Redefines Luxury Living With New Brand Identity, Tagline, and Logo
Resham Kamboj: Empowering Souls and Financial Freedom Through Spiritual Mentorship
NTPC Green Energy Rs 10000 crore IPO: Check subscription date, price band, lot size and more
India’s first hydrogen train to start trials soon: Check route, features, top speed to be…
Tejasvi Jaiswal's selfless sacrifice for brother Yashasvi Jaiswal rewarded with life's greatest gift
Mukesh Ambani, Isha Ambani to shut down these outlets under Reliance Retail due to...
Watch viral video: This MP stole Bill and ran away with intention to...
US comedian's hilarious imitation of Donald Trump goes viral, watch video here
Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: CSK legend MS Dhoni and wife Sakshi cast vote in Ranchi - Watch
LoP Rahul Gandhi rides Kerala's longest zipline in Wayanad to boost tourism after landslides; watch
Nita Ambani stuns in floral ensemble as she poses with Anupam Kher at NMACC
Anil Ambani's company makes HUGE profit in 3 months, market cap now reaches Rs...
Is Space Travel Safe: Surprising ways Space affects human body
Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif lost this blockbuster franchise of Rs 600 crore, were replaced by...
'Can't believe...': Woman dresses up as ghost in viral video, here's what happened next, WATCH
HURRY UP! Coldplay announces fourth show in Ahmedabad, tickets to go on sale from...
Chhath Puja turns scary! Venomous snake turns towards woman performing rituals, then…
Meet man who left college at 18, earned Rs 1200 crore at 20, is CEO now, has net worth of Rs...
Radhika Merchant changes name, shares thoughts on work and marriage
Renewable Energy: Power generation expert Shahroz Anjum leads way in solar optimisation
Meet man, Indian-origin VP, who uses vacations to determine if he's hired right people, he is...
Ricky Ponting hits back at Gautam Gambhir's 'minding own business' advice, says, 'He is…'
Decision between renting and owning: Krupa Goel's perspective on what's shaping choices today
SC pronounces verdict on 'bulldozer justice': 'Having a home is a longing that never fades...'
Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over Church of England sex abuse scandal
Why world's most valuable company Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang doesn’t wear a watch, know here
Renowned Yoga guru Sharath Jois passes away at 53
Guru Nanak Jayanti 2024: Know date, time and significance of festival
DSP tracks down vegetable vendor after 14 years, reason will leave you surprised
Chennai Rain Alert: Heavy showers expected today, IMD issues warning to 11 districts
Ankur Warikoo shares details about his annual salary, reveals he earns Rs...
Donald Trump chooses Elon Musk to lead THIS new Department, it is...