Interests

Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you do with your life, be passionate.

Music

Because without Music, life would B Flat.

Apart from Computer Science, I have a huge fondess for music. A professionally trained drummer and an ardent guitarist, I have been playing instruments ever since I was eight years old. Music has been, and always will be, a very important part of my life. It gets me through the best of times and the worst of times. But of course, I don’t mean the pop and electronic/computerized stuff that you hear on the radio today. What I’m referring to is pure music with genuine instruments, something that’s sadly died out since the 2010s. I am especially passionate about ‘70s and ‘80s rock n’ roll. Some of my favourite bands include Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, U2, Led Zeppelin and Bon Jovi.

I have been learning how to drum since I was in the 6th grade. That was the time when Green Day’s ’21st Century Breakdown’ record was all over the rock radio stations. I remember listening to Trè Cool’s awesome drumming on that record. That was when I decided to become a drummer! Apart from drumming, I also strum the guitar, play the keys and slap the cajón.

Other than classic rock n’ roll, I also love country music, the one with banjos and fiddles! Shania Twain, widely regarded as the Queen of Country Pop, is one of my all time favourite artists. Apart from Shania, I also listen to The Chicks, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift’s older albums.

Some of my all time favourite songs:

1. Patience - Guns N’ Roses
2. Crazy - Aerosmith
3. Don’t Look Back In Anger - Oasis
4. You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi
5. Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin
6. Reptilia - The Strokes

Cinema

I am a huge fan of the neo-noir genre of movies. Neo noir is contemporary noir but not just in terms of lighting, but also the storyline! It often blurs the line between good and bad. It means a dark movie, indicating a sense of something sinister and shadowy.

I watch a movie not because of the actor or actress, but because of its director. Some of my favourite directors include Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan and David Fincher. I also love watching classic sitcoms such as Seinfeld, Cheers and Frasier, with Seinfeld being my absolute favourite. ‘A show about nothing’ as it’s very commonly called, it really isn’t about anything, which is exactly what makes it so very fascinating to watch.

I am a huge Star Wars fan, and a staunch believer in the Force, the invisible energy field that ‘binds us, surrounds us, and holds this galaxy together’. When I was a youngling, roughly about age 12, I made a trip to the Dagobah system, and there, from Master Yoda, I learnt the ways of the Force. I succesfully went on to join Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy, but my friend Ben destroyed the whole thing. I haven’t seen Master Luke since.

Philosophy

I am also very interested in Philosophy and I often like to muse about life and death. ‘The study of knowledge’ as it truly is, I love to contemplate on classic philosophical problems such as, ‘who are we’ and ‘is there really any purpose to our lives’ etc. Most of my philosophies are inspired by David Hume, one of the greatest thinkers of the 17th century, and by Prof. Madhava, my advisor.

Of course, questions such as ‘is there a God?’ or ‘are we all meaningless matter?’ don’t really have an answer. But the pursuit of philosophy is not merely to suggest answers to these questions but to make us sensitive to their importance and to keep us conscious of a speculative interest in the universe, which we might otherwise forget.

Yes, there’s no definite answer to any of the philosophical questions, but the value of philosophy lies in its very uncertainty. We go through a life that’s imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense and from the habitual beliefs of our families and nation. Therein lies the importance of philosophising and breaking away from the shackles of our prejudices and predilections.