RSA cryptography is the most commonly used asymmetric cryptographic algorithm. However, with quantum cryptography, this may not be forever. The mathematics of RSA cryptography is modular algebra, which is not too complex. However, a complete understanding requires some knowledge of higher algebra. This book provides the right level of mathematics knowledge to assimilate the concepts needed to understand RSA cryptography.
A great starting point to learn cryptography.
I read both the books one after the other. So, my understanding has become muddled across the books. A simplistic thought presented in the books:
The books are simple, yet the thoughts are deep. So, reading through in a hurry does not work. One has to give some time to assimilate the ideas.
The legend has it that if you recite a stanza for Shakti four hundred times a day over four thousand days, you shall be bestowed with the mental capabilities of the great Indian political master Chanakya, who conceived a unified Bharat for the first time. The novel has two parallel stories running side by side, one of Chanakya of 350 BC and a modern story of the 21st century. The book is a good read. It starts with a compelling story to keep your attention. As the story progressed, I could not find the same energy sustaining across 400 pages. The historical Chanakya part is a story; its accuracy cannot be ascertained, although the author has provided references. The use of modern expletives in the story is unnecessary. The modern story is of a political kingmaker who identifies a poor girl as his political protege and promotes her to become the Indian PM. Just like Chandragupta and Chanakya had differences as mentor and mentee, the politician also falls in the eyes of his protege.
To be read like a story without much historical significance given to it. A good page-turner.
This book is the last of the series of books VS Naipaul has written on India. His understanding of the contemporary India he visited is remarkable. The way he connects the then realities to the history of India is what makes this book most interesting. His writing has been a mix of talking to regular people, understanding their lives, connecting those events to the notable history of India, and establishing that association for the readers to interpret. He has just presented what he learned from the exchange without passing on a moral judgment of the situation. Being someone who has grown up in the 80s and 90s, I found some of the descriptions very apt to the character of the period. There was a limited supply of funds, and people were aspirational and followed a line of thinking that claimed to fulfill that dream. The book covers, Bhimsena, Shivsena, British India's influence on Calcutta, Lucknowi Nawabs, the history of the Sikh gurus and their influence, operation Bluestar, the anti-brahmin movement in the South, the story of Kashmir and the Maharaja, etc. There is a chapter dedicated to Women's Era magazine and the emergence of new thinking of women who are tied to traditional India and want to look at it in a modern interpretation. VS Naipaul has discussed India nicely, is all I can say.
A recommended book.
There is nothing dogla about Doglapan. No one doubts that Ashneer Grover is a loose cannon. The book gives a lot of insights into Ashneer Grover's early life, his businesses, and the struggles he went through in establishing his businesses. The book makes you feel someone is fighting for recognition which he has been missing from place to place. If you have seen the Zuckerberg-themed social network movie, here is the Indian version of it. The founders are fighting with one another, showing one-upmanship over the rest, etc. It seems like a lot of boardroom drama. The good part is it's a short 200-page book and a quick read. Ashneer speaks in Hindi in interviews, yet, he is a great communicator in the English language. Then, why this book? When I see any of his interviews, he keeps repeating things mentioned in the book. With cases pending in courts, it could be lawyered advice to speak to a story, and he meticulously has submitted his views in this story and keeps to it in every public meeting.
Once you read it, you do not have to watch any of his interviews or videos.
William Dalrymple lived in Delhi in the 80s for a year. This book is a testimony to the same. His quest started in Delhi; he went to other parts of India, Pakistan, Ireland, and the UK if that quest demanded. The story has several short exploratory journeys, like the people of the East India Company and their connections to India. The riots that followed the independence or after Indira Gandhi's assassination also are mentioned. The history of Shah Jahan's descendants, Lodhis, the Tughlags, the remnants of their creations and their current status are all discussed in the book. He tries to find the historical evidence of Mahabharata, including a last-minute chase to the Nigambodh Ghat. But he hardly can connect any dots there. The rituals and mythological practices followed by men, women, and the other sex of India related to the stories find a place in the book. If you are a Delhi resident, you will still wonder, have you understood Delhi enough?
An original work supported by evidence, yet the book reads like a story. Every time you think about why I did not try to find this out when I was in Delhi. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of India.
So much fuss about what? The book has excellent research covering generations of human activity leading to destruction. It is well understood, yet we always felt it is local. It describes the Western exploitation of the colonies very well, but making it a book on the environment is a substantial stretch. The issue is human race never acted from the learning. Writing hundreds of more articles will not change a thing. Pointing fingers at activities related to the Western world, while the native focus was towards sustainable growth, is again wishful thinking. All that explained in the book will not lead to saving the world from climatic disasters. It looked like a lot of work has gone into creating associations with non-proximate causes that are hard to understand and lead to reader fatigue. If someone wants to use this book as research work for a literature review from scholarly texts, she can do so.
After a few chapters, it became hard to read and almost nagging in most places. I will not recommend the book as the effort does not justify a value add.
