Anand Ranganathan Wiki, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Anand Ranganathan is an Indian scientist and author. He is the author of The Land of the Wilted Rose (2012), For Love and Honour (2015), and The Rat Eater (2019).

Wiki/Biography

Anand Ranganathan was born in 1972 (age 51 years; as of 2023). Anand Ranganathan went to St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, where he completed his BSc (Hons) degree in Chemistry in 1992. He then went to the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom on the Cambridge Nehru Centenary Fellowship of 1992 (scholarship). There, in 1994 he finished his B.A. (Tripos) in Natural Sciences from the Pembroke College of Cambridge and in 1998 he did his Ph.D. in Biochemistry. In 1998 he was given an honourary M.A. from the Pembroke College, University of Cambridge.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 6″

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Parents & Siblings

Anand’s mother’s name is Darshan Ranganathan. She was an organic chemist, an author and the head of the Chemistry Department at Miranda College, Delhi. His father’s name is Subramania Ranganathan, a bioorganic chemist, professor and the head of the department of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. The two are well known for having done important work in the field of organic chemistry.

Wife & Children

Anand is married to Sheetal Ranganathan who is a columnist on global health and science outreach.

Religion/Religious Views

Anand Ranganathan is an atheist. He claims to be a “Darwinian atheist”.

Signature/Autograph

Career

Scientist

After his time at the University of Cambridge, Anand Ranganathan came back to India and joined the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Delhi and worked in the lab as a Staff Research Scientist. He worked in the lab for about 16 years. in 2015 he started work at the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi as an Associate Professor. In 2019, he was made a full-time professor at JNU. Anand Ranganathan’s research work focuses on Directed Evolution and Pathogenesis, with special emphasis on Tuberculosis and Malaria. He has written several peer-reviewed research papers in journals such as The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Chemistry & Biology, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Nature Communications.

Writer

Anand Ranganathan has written non-fiction books. He wrote The Land of the Wilted Rose Paperback in 2011. The book is about a seventeen-year-old Maharaja in the golden age of India and how the fate of the world rests on his shoulders. In 2015, For Love and Honour was published. The book tells the story of Captain Akhil Mehra who seeks solace at the Carlington tea estate owned by Rai Bahadur, where he encounters a cast of intriguing characters, including the Rai Bahadur’s daughters, leading to a series of life-altering events.

He co-authored The Rat Eater, published in 2019, with Chitra Subramaniam. The book deals with the caste system, the corruption, and the harsh truths of India. His book Souffle, published in 2023, is a fictitious murder mystery. According to Anand Ranganathan, the actress Raveena Tandon was the inspiration for the book.

With @TandonRaveena, the inspiration behind Soufflé. Thank you, Raveena! pic.twitter.com/qa7l88u6XR

— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) January 15, 2023

Anand Ranganathan also wrote Hindus in Hindu Rashtra (Eighth-Class Citizens and Victims of State-Sanctioned Apartheid), which was published in 2023. The book questions the idea of India being a Hindu-majority nation by pointing out instances where Hindus face discrimination and injustice, challenging the commonly accepted concept of secularism in the country. Anand Ranganathan also writes articles on political and religious topics for news websites and his personal website. Anand is also the consulting editor of the Swarajya magazine.

Controversies

Contempt Case

In December 2022, Dr. Anand Ranganathan refused to apologize for supporting filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and S. Gurumurthy, who criticized Justice S. Muralidhar for granting bail to Urban Naxal Gautam Navlakha. Ranganathan, who was included in the contempt case against Gurumurthy and Agnihotri, issued a statement saying he did nothing wrong and wouldn’t apologize. He explained that he supported them because he values free speech and opposes contempt of court charges. Earlier, Gurumurthy had accused Justice Muralidhar of bias in a blog post, which Agnihotri shared on Twitter, leading to a contempt of court notice. Ranganathan also criticized this, and Twitter withheld two of his tweets that criticized the contempt notices. [1] Anand and his lawyer (J Sai Deepak) confirmed that they would be participating in the contempt proceedings. In May 2023, the Delhi High Court granted Ranganath four weeks to file an affidavit. [2]

Next hearing for the Criminal Contempt case against me fixed at October 11. I respectfully informed the hon’ble judges that I am a free speech absolutist and I will not apologise.

Ever grateful to @jsaideepak. And thank you to each one of you for your wishes and support. pic.twitter.com/NUNKIgBaR4

— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) May 24, 2023

Awards, Honours, Achievements

• Anand Ranganathan was made an Associate Fellow in the Indian Academy of Sciences from 2003 to 2006.

• Anand Ranganathan won the Young Scientist Medal from the UDCT (University Department of Chemical Technology, currently known as the Institute of Chemical Technology), India in 2006.

• Anand Ranganathan was awarded the Young Scientist Medal by the Indian National Science Academy in 2007.

Facts/Trivia

• Anand Ranganathan loves the phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (Sanskrit for the world is one family) and is proud of its Indian origin. According to Anand, the phrase is scientifically and genetically true and is also inclusive.

• Anand Ranganathan appears on TV news shows, debates, and podcasts and has also given a TEDx talk.
  

  Anand Ranganathan giving a TEDx talk