21st September, 2026

What am I working on?

Last week was busy but full of joy. We celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi with family who came to stay with us for the week, along with friends who joined in the festivities. This was the invite I designed.

What am I reading?

The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg is the second book I have read in her Early Earth universe set. A very interesting thing I learned from this book was the Scheherazade gambit: a device in which a character avoids danger by making themselves more valuable alive than dead usually by telling an ongoing story and ending each one on a cliffhanger.

The story is about a wager. Jerome challenges his arrogant friend Manfred to seduce his wife Cherry within one hundred days. But Cherry is in love with her maid Hero and together they use the Scheherazade gambit to stop his advances. Night after night, Hero tells stories that keep Manfred captivated and delays his plan.

These tales are beautifully interconnected with one another exploring themes of sisterhood, resistance to patriarchy and the power of storytelling. Like The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, Greenberg brings together folklore, myth and romance through her distinctive illustrative style. Familiar characters from the earlier work also appear creating a sense of continuity for the reader.

Magical and whimsical, 100 Nights of Hero is a fun read.

What am I watching/watched recently?

Kirikou and the Sorceress felt less like watching a film and more like listening to a bedtime story. Inspired by West African folklore, it is about Kirikou, a tiny but brave and clever boy who is born in a village living under the shadow of the sorceress Karaba. She is feared by all - watches over the village, has driven away or eaten those who challenged her and has even cut off the village's water supply. Kirikou is determined to restore peace and sets out on a journey to end her reign.

What makes Kirikou a compelling hero in my eyes is that he does not rely on strength but on kindness, curiosity and wit. Rather than simply wanting to defeat Karaba, he wants to know the source of her cruelty and how to free her from the curse that binds her.

Its hand-drawn 2D animation taking inspiration from African culture. It is hard to believe the film was released in 1998. The nudity may initially feel striking to viewers but is presented naturally and without any vulgarity.

The movie carries mature themes too. Karaba is not merely a villain but is a victim carrying a deep wound. Her cruelty is not innate but a response to suffering (hurt people hurt people). She holds on to the thorn because it protects her from being hurt again even as it robs her of peace and harms everyone around her. Its true - understanding and compassion can often achieve what force cannot. Combined with a beautiful background score, rich cultural influences and classic hero's journey structure, Kirikou and the Sorceress is a must watch.

New thing I learnt lately?

This is the first company I came across whose business model was completely disrupted by AI. Chegg is a platform for students seeking homework help and at its peak in February 2021 its stock traded at around $115. By April 2026, the stock hovered near $1. Its market capitalization dropped to just over $100 million from nearly $14.7 billion. You can say its value was WIPED OUT by AI. Chegg built its whole business on paid answers to problems. Students subscribed to access step-by-step solutions for academic problems. And then AI arrived.

The likes of ChatGPT and Gemini began offering similar answers instantly and for free. There was no need for a student to seek Chegg's subscription. Discovery patterns also changed. Students found answers directly through AI-powered search results (like Google's AI response) reducing traffic to Chegg's website. The company is still operating and trying to pivot its business model. But the impact of AI became very tangible all of a sudden.