Nikamma writes about well-researched ‘Indian-ness’ (or the lack of it) in Alan Dean Foster’s sci-fi novel, Sagramanda.

Clearly, Foster has spent time trying to understand the country at a subcutaneous level. First, he’s created a technical universe in which the gadgets and effects have been tailored to Indian life. Automatic brewers serve up tea on command. There are inventions that have evolved to deal with vast populations. Myraid models of automated Marutis traverse the roads. Having taken note of India as a spiritual nation, Foster gives religion a central role to play in the defining of the technology. Sadhus are equipped with narcotic gizmos that induce hypnosis. Virtual 3D images silently enact scenes from epics like the Ramayana in lobbies and museums. A Sikh uses a communicator built into his kada