# mad words dispatches from a mind in the wild, foraging through ideas, dilemmas, literature, history, math, the internet, and the self. subscribe! Page: Feed: --- ## [Should we all just stop writing now?](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/should-we-all-just-stop-writing-now) _2026-06-02 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ What happens when "slop" starts winning? Thoughts on the CW short story prize being awarded to an allegedly AI-generated story ## [The gendered achievement complex that rules Indian households](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/the-gendered-achievement-complex) _2026-05-26 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ Why have we been obsessed with an idea of intelligence that confines it to excellence in math, science, the “hard” subjects? ## [The Bollywood movie that started a national eating disorder](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/the-bollywood-movie-that-started) _2026-05-13 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ From Chapter 3 of Famous Last Questions: "Your body or mine?" ## [a day in my head](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/a-day-in-my-head) _2026-05-05 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ probably just an hour actually. or a minute. ## [Can't we be more like trees?](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/can-we-be-more-like-trees) _2026-04-13 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ Trees consume CO2 and produce O2 without comparing themselves to each other ## [Do you really want agency?](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/do-you-really-want-agency) _2026-03-16 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ On the bludgeoning of a useful concept. And the great responsibility that comes with great agency ## [Neither Left nor Right. But either here or there.](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/neither-left-nor-right-but-either) _2026-01-19 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ The much awaited explication on my political leanings (real). Also the limitations of labels and why truth lies beyond them ## [In defence of wanting to be great](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/in-defence-of-wanting-to-be-great) _2026-01-11 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ Why Timothée Chalamet’s radical ambition unsettles us, and the necessary delusions behind the pursuit of mastery ## [Did you have a Year of the Snake too?](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/did-you-have-a-year-of-the-snake) _2025-12-31 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ Reflections on 2025, shedding old skin, and the nature of personal growth. ## [Accept your Doppler invite (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/TJhKhz3tAEQA) _2025-12-31 · **Sponsored**_ Create your Doppler account using the invite code you received. ## [If you love me, pre-order my book now](https://ramachandranesk.substack.com/p/pre-order-my-book) _2025-03-27 · Sanjana Ramachandran_ Famous Last Questions, my debut nonfiction book, is out now. Some very cool people are saying some very cool things about it. You can read what it's about—or just order anyway immediately.