“What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the wish to find out, which is the exact opposite.”
Basics
My name is Akshansh Bhatt (see pronunciation), and I’m a 22-year-old software/quant developer based in Hyderabad, India. I recently graduated from BITS Pilani, one of the premier STEM institutes in India, with degrees in Physics (MS) and Electronics Engineering (BE). I currently work at Wells Fargo as a Program Associate.
I love to build and hack. From a very young age, I've been passionate about programming and electronics, tech in general—writing short scripts, developing simple CLI programs, and experimenting with Arduino boards. However, it wasn’t until my first year of college that my profound interest in computer science and software development really began to take shape. This shift started when I first learned about open-source software (OSS) and developer communities. Through some personal exploration, I came to the realization that open-source development is one of the most pragmatic and inclusive way to build, maintain and distribute software. Any piece of software, however complex it may be, depends on open-source at some level. Almost all proprietary software, products and services alike, most of the time are simply open-source wrappers, occasionally with minor proprietary additions on top. This revelation fundamentally changed how I perceived developing software and it played a crucial role in shaping my career.
Since then, I’ve actively contributed to popular open-source codebases. I’ve also twice been a part of Google’s annual open-source program, Google Summer of Code (GSoC), where I have worked on developing and maintaining OSS projects that impact thousands of active users globally. Currently, I’m an active maintainer of a couple of open-source projects (check out my GitHub profile for more details). You can also check out my rèsumè for a detailed timeline of my academic and professional background.
Interests and Beliefs
While it's understandable to be labeled a ‘techie’ or ‘dev’ since these are reflective of my professional pursuits, I find labels like these quite reductive and limiting. These labels represent just one aspect of my multifaceted personality. Why be confined to a couple of tags when there’s so much to discover and fall in love with?
I absolutely love to learn and explore new things, pick up new hobbies, and engage with diverse communities simply for the joy of it. I have a wide range of interests and it only keeps growing with each passing day. For instance, I’m a huge music nerd. I love discovering new sounds and artists from around the world, both mainstream and indie. My interest in music goes beyond just listening; I am fascinated by how different artists and musical evolutions across decades have influenced the current musical landscape. I explore the stories, inspirations, creative techniques and experimentations of artists and the broader social and cultural impact generated by it. Music is something that moves me, inspires me and I hold sacred and close to my heart. I see music not just as consumable content but rather as a profound form of expression that even transcends language.
My passion for cinema is equally intense. I mean c’mon, who doesn’t like movies? To date, I have actively watched more than a thousand different movies from around the world, spanning various eras—ranging from popular mainstream films to niche, almost unheard works. I don’t have any favorite ‘genre’ per se but I’m generally drawn to films that examine the complexities of the human condition, social issues, and pose thought-provoking questions rather than providing straightforward answers. Filmmakers are, in my view, some of the greatest creative geniuses. It requires an immense amount of technical and imaginative skill to create films that resonate deeply with the viewer. Some of my favorite filmmakers off the top of my head and in no particular order include Agnes Varda, Akira Kurosawa, Yorgos Lanthimos, Richard Linklater, David Lynch, Abbas Kiarostami, Stanley Kubrick and Paul Thomas Anderson. I can discuss about films for hours, about how they shaped my worldview and opened up new perspectives. So feel free to hit me up if you are into music or cinema.
Apart from music and films some of my other interests include but are not limited to - photography, books, research, politics, physics, philosophy and entrepreneurship. If it’s not already evident from the quote at the top of this page, I find immense joy in learning, exploring, questioning and creating. I create something, however mundane it might be, from what I learn and get inspiration from. It is my personal belief that if you don’t put the knowledge you have gained to use, that knowledge becomes objectively useless. Human ingenuity and rationality are, in my view, two of the most potent qualities we possess. I strive to harness them to their fullest potential, recognizing the privilege of having such capabilities. After all, these traits are what make us truly sapient.
More Miscellaneous Stuff
🔭 I’m currently working on a compiler project and some secret stuff you’ll soon (or maybe not so soon) hear about. Let me cook.
🌱 I’m currently learning Stochastic Calculus. Stochastic Calculus is a branch of mathematics that deals with the study of random processes and their evolution over time. It combines probability theory with calculus to analyze and model systems that involve uncertainty or randomness, particularly in fields like finance, physics, and engineering.
📖 I’m currently reading Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism. The book discusses the way capitalism has become the overriding framework through which we view and experience the world, to the point where it is extremely difficult to even conceive of alternative economic and political systems. How capitalist ideology and values have permeated and reshaped virtually all aspects of society. So far, I have read about half of the book and would highly recommend it if you are into such topics.
👯 I’m looking for someone to collaborate with me on some of my abandoned personal projects—projects that I have ideated over the years but have not worked upon due to time, logistics and/or other inefficiencies at that point in time. Maybe I can re-brainstorm some of those and start working. I would also love to hear some of your original ideas too. Just hit me up to discuss.
⚡ Random fun fact: You seeing the image on this page cover? This isn't just any image – it's a Gosper Curve, a space-filling curve similar to the well-known Hilbert Curve. I generated both this and the Penrose Tiling on my homepage using the same code, just with different input parameters. Isn’t that 🤯!? The magic behind this flexibility? L-Systems (Lindenmayer Systems), which can create everything from fractals to cellular automata by tweaking simple recursive rules. God, I love math!
Reaching Out
If you find me or my stuff interesting, connect with me using the social links in the footer 👇🏼 or contact me directly. I would love to hear what’s going on in your world. Until next time, have a good one 🤗.