Anand Ramachandran

    Mirth Vader

    Discover the power of the light side

  • The alternate history of Indian Rock N Roll

    Contemplating alternate histories - What if Hitler had won? What if Alexander hadn't died so young? What if Amithabh Bachchan had used a contraceptive? - has always been a favourite pastime of people who have nothing else to do.  And … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/05/28/the-alternate-history-of-indian-rock-n-roll/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • ‘Inner intelligence’ needs to be recognized

    From when we are quite young, we are introduced to the concept of 'inner beauty'. This is done by our elders with the lofty ideal of teaching us that physical attractiveness in human beings is not important - as long … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/05/14/inner-intelligence-needs-to-be-recognized/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Lessons to be learned from arranged marriages

    I think we all agree that there are few things more respectable and legitimate than that great pillar of Indian society — the arranged marriage. While the acceptance of love marriages (known as lou marriages in some parts of the … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/04/30/lessons-to-be-learned-from-arranged-marriages/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Where Have All the Myths Gone?

    Abandoned children, scorned suitors, valiant women and men struggling against fate, shape-shifting tricksters, Pyrrhic victories and rites of passage. All this and more, one would imagine, is rich fodder for the novelist. However, mythology and its tropes -- "public dreams", … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/04/28/where-have-all-the-myths-gone/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Rickshaw drivers and vampires in Bengaluru

    I recently had the opportunity to experience Bengaluru for the first time through the eyes of a resident. It is a city of many delights - the easiest on the eye among all Indian metros, the advantages of a modern … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/04/16/rickshaw-drivers-and-vampires-in-bengaluru/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • When Hollywood starts making movies based on magazines

    What's with Hollywood? Seriously? Let's see what they have lined up for the immediate future - a reboot of Spider-Man (so that the millions of people who saw all the Spidey movies can...er ... see them again), another lame Wolverine … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/11/20/when-hollywood-starts-making-movies-based-on-magazines/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • In celebration of fancy-dress

    I have written before about the general strangeness of certain exquisitely weird and quaint practices that we see in school, such as Mass Drill. The recent enthusiasm shown by my fellow Indians in celebrating Halloween by wearing outlandish and terrifying … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/11/06/in-celebration-of-fancy-dress/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Confessions of a Tam-Brahm freelancer

    I normally don't have any regrets about not having pursued a conventional, respectable profession. You know - like working in a bank, or at one of those nice software companies with offices that are mostly made from glass and strategically … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/10/23/confessions-of-a-tam-brahm-freelancer/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • It’s not wrong to like Bollywood, so why do I feel so guilty?

    Last month, I did something completely unacceptable in my social circles. I watched, and, horror of horrors, actually dared to like two Bollywood films in a row. When your immediate circle of friends comprises chiefly proud Tamils who only watch … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/10/09/its-not-wrong-to-like-bollywood-so-why-do-i-feel-so-guilty/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Ayodhya versus Rajnikanth

    In postponing the Ayodhya verdict to the 29th, the Supreme Court has made a grave tactical blunder. Now, the much awaited verdict will have to compete with that great bugbear of all other media events, a Rajnikanth film release. And … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/09/25/ayodhya-versus-rajnikanth/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • How to deal with whisky and wine snobs

    If there's one thing I can't stand, it's snobbery. Primarily because it makes me feel so inadequate. And, of all the different kinds of snobbery that we encounter in everyday life, nothing gets under my skin as much as the … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/09/11/how-to-deal-with-whisky-and-wine-snobs/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Policies and systems the new India really needs. Just in case.

    As the nation marches, hurtles, lurches and sneaks towards a bright future as a developed nation, it's time for our thought leaders and planners to ensure that all infrastructure, systems and policies are in place to ensure that the progress … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/08/28/policies-and-systems-the-new-india-really-needs-just-in-case/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Goodbye 3D, Hello Invisible Cinema

    Now that all the cool people have said that 3D movies are a bad idea, the technology will soon become obsolete. Of course, most of the cool people are simply parroting the opinion of Roger Ebert, who says four absurd … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/08/14/goodbye-3d-hello-invisible-cinema/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • A plan to save the Commonwealth Games

    Unless something is done quickly about the Commonwealth Games, the event could end up becoming a worse embarrassment for India than substandard Akshay Kumar films, alarming public health levels, or Rajan Zed. Already, accusations of large-scale corruption have added to … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/07/31/a-plan-to-save-the-commonwealth-games/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Scientific inventions for everyone

    That great scientific and philosophical mind, Sir Francis Bacon, way back in the seventeenth century, opined that all scientific knowledge must be put to use for the greater good of humankind. While we have to acknowledge that he was probably … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/07/17/scientific-inventions-for-everyone/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The Case For Genetically Modified People

    The recent furore over genetically modified crops got me thinking. And that's always a bad thing. Agricultural scientists claimed that, through genetic modification, they could make Brinjal resistant to pests and disease. (While they were at it, why couldn't they … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/07/03/the-case-for-genetically-modified-people/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The legalization of corruption

    In a previous column, my colleague and friend Amit Varma made an eloquent case for the legalization of gambling. Among other well-made points, Amit explained how legalizing gambling would bring respectability and legitimacy to the entire industry, bring it within … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/06/19/the-legalization-of-corruption/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • And this is how the world ends

    Doomsday. Pralaya. Armageddon. Ragnarok. It's all old hat. All doomsday myths were meant to scare the pants (or whatever they wore back in the day) off regular people. That's why they invariably involve frightening stuff like fire raining down, great … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/06/05/and-this-is-how-the-world-ends/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Mass Drill and the Chinese Invasion

    Who doesn't fondly remember the carefree days of school? Those wonderful years when we, quite unbeknownst to ourselves, were being prepared for the challenges of adult life. Schools are the foundation of our society; great temples of learning where millions … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/05/22/mass-drill-and-the-chinese-invasion/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Indian Television = Indian Culture

    People keep complaining about how Indians are losing touch with our glorious past. They rant about how we have forgotten our traditions, and how we are allowing western culture to run roughshod over our values, knowledge systems and ways of … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/05/08/indian-television-indian-culture/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>