Writings by Sanjana Ramachandran

Rajat Gupta's appeal to the court of public opinion

After failing to set aside his conviction for insider trading in US courts, Rajat Gupta presents his side of the story and professes his innocence in his memoir.

caravanmagazine.in

People are Not Numbers : Reading Kafka in India

An essay by Sanjana Ramchandran

raiot.in

The Namesakes

The story of roughly fifty Sanjanas, how their parents decided to call them that, and the secret history of why Indians give their babies the names they do — A new story from India to the world, each week on FiftyTwo.in

www.fiftytwo.in

Restricted Code

Many Indians believe Sanskrit is a perfect language for computer programming and AI research. State-led programmes have deepened the impression. Indian scientists working on AI research would like a word — a new story from India to the world, each week on FiftyTwo.in

fiftytwo.in

Zomato, Kent, Rolling Stone — Casteism in Indian ads, marketing and how not to say sorry

In Indian marketing and advertising, caste is implied, not acknowledged and addressed. But a few ads have shown the way.

theprint.in

‘Class’ Shows Elite Indians Confronting Their Privilege — Or Failing To

The kitschy web series sets up a bird’s-eye view of Indian society’s various fissures — caste, religion, sexuality — and asks why the rich can hardly see beyond themselves

newlinesmag.com

Opinion: Opinion | OpenAI, Apple iPad: Big Tech Is Triggering Too Many People, Too Fast

While Apple has offended people with its new iPad ad, OpenAI has announced their latest update to ChatGPT, GPT-4o, building on the enthrallment and terror their products have unleashed in the last year and a half.

www.ndtv.com

The Sanjana Effect: almost 50 girls were named after Pepsi’s 1993 ad

One of them wrote this article. She also tracked down the other ‘Sanjus’.

www.afaqs.com

Fabindia, Sabyasachi, and the ‘Moral’ Question Facing Indian Consumers

Brands are struggling to balance creativity against intolerance. But it's consumers who must take productive action.

www.thequint.com

Free BMWs and Mercedes: How Indian tech workers are leveraging an unprecedented hiring boom

Tech startups and IT firms are luring talent with knockout salaries, perks, and bonuses.

restofworld.org

Shark Tank India is Quietly Changing Dinner-Table Conversations for the Better

www.arre.co.in

‘Running Boy’ Pradeep Mehra’s overnight fame shows India’s obsession with merit and success

Feeding the idea ‘hard work will give rewards’, in a country where ‘a chaiwala can become a PM’, helps stave off questions about inequality.

theprint.in

Tech is Changing the Way People Score and Sell Drugs in India

It's now easier for people to buy or sell drugs, but they also have a greater chance of being ripped off or busted.

www.vice.com

A Comedian Said Indians Shouldn’t Call Themselves ‘Asian’. Racist or Right?

A Malaysian comedian told Indians to “choose a lane” when it comes to identifying as Indians or Asians. But who gets to define their identity?

www.vice.com

YouTube Vs Instagram, short in India

With TikTok absent, India has emerged as ground zero for short-video supremacy. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Instagram Reels and challenger YouTube Shorts.

daily.thesignal.co

Deconstructing the Antitrust case against FAAG

Network effects - in Big Tech and in funding activities. Facebook's response to a Netflix documentary. Moral hazards in banking loans, and vacant commercial properties in the neighbourhood.

the-ken.com

Same law, but different rules

NGOs are in a spot of bother, what happens when the Central Government makes a GST error and, Thailand goes after internet giants.

the-ken.com

What’s in a name?

For one, the Madras High Court judge who first ruled on the case believed that competitors could bid on ‘bharat matrimony’ in its descriptive sense rather than a trademarked brand name. After all, an Indian consumer in search of marriageable partners might well begin her search with ‘india matrimony’ or the likes—however wide and unhelpful a net that may cast.

the-ken.com

“What is normal?”

Purpose-driven advertising, where a brand associates itself with a cause much larger than the functional problem it solves, has risen along with causes themselves.

the-ken.com

Russian vaccine marketing is prestige and politics in one shot

“Our social media followers will be the first to be invited to get #SputnikVaccinated in Russia when the program starts,” read the caption.

the-ken.com

Consumers are FLoC-ing to privacy-conscious apps

With FLoC, Google replaces the third-party cookie that tracked users as they browsed the web so as to profile them for targeted ads. Google is positioning FLoC as a more privacy-friendly method to target audiences, releasing a comic to explain why.

the-ken.com

We cannot put a value to oxygen—or CRED’s coins

On Tuesday, online credit card payments platform CRED partnered with Milaap, a healthcare fundraising platform, to donate one billion litres of oxygen via concentrators to hospitals and healthcare non-profits across the country.

the-ken.com

The ad strikes back!

After streaming platforms like Netflix set the norm for video consumption on the back of ad-free experiences, advertisements are making a comeback in the industry.

the-ken.com