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

Anand Ranganathan is an Indian scientist, political analyst,  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 on Monday, 4 December 1972 (age 50 years; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. 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), where, in 1994, he finished his B.A. (Tripos) in Natural Sciences at the Pembroke College of Cambridge, and in 1998, he was given his Ph.D. in Biochemistry. In 1998 he was given an honourary M.A. from the Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. From 1998 to 1999, Anand was a Post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry, 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 head of the department of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. The two are well known for having done important work in their respective fields. Anand Ranganathan does not have any siblings.

Wife & Children

Anand is married to Sheetal Ranganathan, who is a columnist on global health and science outreach. The two have a son named Jawahar Ranganathan.

Religion

Anand Ranganathan is an atheist. He claims to be a “Darwinian atheist”. At the same time, he also visits temples.

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 in the Recombinant Gene Products Group. He worked in the lab for about 16 years (1999-2015). In 2015, he started working as an Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Special Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru University, in Delhi. 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. He conducted research on Tuberculosis (TB) whose aim was to discover better methods of diagnosis, treatment and a vaccine to protect humans against diseases like Malaria and TB.

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, 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 and columnist of Swarajya magazine. He has also written for Newslaundry, DNA, and The Newsminute.

Political Analyst

Anand Ranganathan writes articles and appears on news channels to debate the political situation of the nation. Anand often talks about his opinion on the Nehru-Gandhi family, BJP, and the Congress party and uses what he considers to be factual information, to expose politicians. According to Anand Ranganathan, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was a tyrant and an oppressor and blamed him for suppressing the Freedom of speech and expression. Anand Ranganath is also against the actions of Mahatma Gandhi. Anand speaks about Gandhi’s alleged atrocities in interviews and also tweets about the same, and labels him a “racist bigot”. Anand Ranganathan does not side with any one particular party and claims to be on the side of facts. He exposes the hypocrisy of members of any party be it liberal or conservative. Anand Ranganathan believes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a lot for the Muslims of India, and at the same time states that he has not fulfilled his promises and owes the country legitimate explanations for his actions. Anand Ranganathan both praises and criticises the BJP and Narendra Modi.

Newslaundry

Anand Ranganathan used to be employed at Newlaundry. He ran a segment on the Newslaundry YouTube channel called “Ranga Uncle’s Nichod”.

He was the consulting editor and also wrote articles for the website, did doodling, and appeared on Newslaundry’s weekly podcast, NL Hafta. However, there was a falling out between Anand and Newslaundry, allegedly because he was being mocked by the employees of Newslaundry for his tweets. The divide between Newslaundry rose when they made fun of Anand Ranganathan for fighting against Jack Dorsey‘s statement of “Smash Brahminical Patriarchy”. Newslaundry put out an article where they criticised Anand Ranganathan, his views and actions. For example, they spoke about Anand Ranganathan’s criticism of Republic TV, and how it was Narendra Modi’s propaganda channel, and compared it to how he started regularly appearing on the channel.

Controversy

Contempt Case

In December 2022, Dr. Anand Ranganathan refused to apologize for supporting filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and editor 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. 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.

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.

• Anand Ranganathan won Young Scientist from the World Economic Forum for the New Champions Summit in 2012.

Salary

Anand Ranganathan earns Rs. 2,85,816 per month from his job as a Professor in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, as of March 2023.

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 co-authored the book “Forgotten Heroes of Indian Science” with Sheetal Ranganathan. The book was supposed to be published by Bloomsbury; however, Anand cancelled their contract when Bloomsbury withdrew the publication of “Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story” due to political pressure. The book is being published by Penguin instead.

  Anand Ranganathan’s tweets of him expressing outrage against Bloomsbury

• Anand Ranganathan’s favourite sweet is Mysore Pak from Sri Krishna Sweets.

• Anand Ranganathan used to live with his grandmother till he was in 6th standard after which he lived with his parents. This was because his parents Darshan and Subramania were busy with their work.

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

  Anand Ranganathan giving a TEDx talk