The evil of caste will be solved not by deliverance from up top but empowerment from down below. Dalit scholar and writer Chandra Bhan Prasad joins Amit Varma in episode 296 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why the cure for caste lies in capitalism -- and why his two great heroes are Babasaheb Ambedkar and Adam Smith. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Chandra Bhan Prasad on Twitter , Amazon , Wikipedia . Mercatus , Times of India and Google Scholar . 2....
Sep 26, 2022•4 hr 38 min•Season 1Ep. 296
Imagine being a young girl growing up in a world of constant curfews, occasional raids, army bunkers outside homes, and the fear that whoever leaves home may not return. Farah Bashir joins Amit Varma in episode 295 of The Seen and the Unseen to speak about her childhood in Kashmir — and the act of writing about it. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Farah Bashir on Twitter and Instagram . 2. Rumours of Spring: A Girlhood in Kashmir -- Farah Bashir. 3. Kashmir...
Sep 19, 2022•3 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 295
You can lose yourself in cinema -- and you can find yourself in it. Jai Arjun Singh and Subrat Mohanty join Amit Varma in episode 294 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the films in their lives, why we should watch old films, why we should watch new films, why Bollywood and Hollywood and other woods are all great, and why we live in a wonderful technicolor world. This episode is a celebration of cinema! (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in .) Also check out : 1. Jai Arjun Singh...
Sep 12, 2022•5 hr 51 min•Season 1Ep. 294
The world we live in is designed by men for men. What is it like to be a woman in this world? Mahima Vashisht joins Amit Varma in episode 293 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her experiences documenting all that is unseen by men and lived by women. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in .) Also check out: 1. Mahima Vashisht on Twitter and Buy Me A Coffee . 2. Womaning in India -- Mahima Vashisht's newsletter. 3. The Womaning in India podcast . 4. The All-Powerful Female Imposter Syn...
Sep 05, 2022•6 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 293
He's one of our finest writers, lyricists, comedians, dissenters -- and the breadth of his work is matched by the depth of his insights. Varun Grover joins Amit Varma in episode 292 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and work so far. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in .) Also check out : 1. Varun Grover on Twitter , Instagram , YouTube and IMDb . 2. Masaan -- Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and written by Varun Grover. 3. Aisi Taisi Democracy on YouTube . Twitter and Inst...
Aug 29, 2022•4 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 292
He was born in a small village in Haryana, built and lost one of the biggest viral sites in the world, and is now building a Netflix for India's dialects. Vinay Singhal joins Amit Varma in episode 291 of The Seen and the Unseen to speak about what he learnt from Witty Feed, the philosophy behind his new venture Stage, and how India lives, truly lives, in its dialects. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in .) Also check out : 1. Vinay Singhal on Twitter and LinkedIn . 2. Stage.in . 3. ...
Aug 22, 2022•4 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 291
In 1947, few people gave us 75 years. Bloody hell, here we are! And it is up to us now to make this country the best version of itself. Karthik Muralidharan joins Amit Varma in episode 290 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss one of our problem areas: the Indian state. Can we fix it? Yes we can! (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in.) Also check out : 1. Karthik Muralidharan on Twitter , LinkedIn , Google Scholar and UCSD . 2. Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) ...
Aug 14, 2022•5 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 290
She's skated down tekdis , played volleyball for her state, run through deserts and wrestled a bear with her bare hands. Ok, not the last one. Shruti Jahagirdar joins Amit Varma in episode 289 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss women's sports in India, fitness, nutrition and a world without limits. Also check out : 1. Shruti Jahagirdar on Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn . 2. Halomi Fitness , Shruti Jahagirdar's startup. 3. The Evolution of Cricket -- Episode 97 of The Seen and the Unseen (w ...
Aug 08, 2022•5 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 289
To immerse yourself in literature is to immerse yourself in the world. Chandrahas Choudhury joins Amit Varma in episode 288 of The Seen and the Unseen to chat about reading, writing, friendship, Mumbai and the guests at his fantasy dinner table. Also check out : 1. Chandrahas Choudhury on Instagram and Amazon . 2. The Middle Stage -- Chandrahas Choudhury's blog. 3. My Country Is Literature -- Chandrahas Choudhury. 4. Days of My China Dragon -- Chandrahas Choudhury. 5. Clouds -- Chandrahas Choudh...
Aug 01, 2022•4 hr 50 min•Season 1Ep. 288
She helped generations of women in India find a voice. She expanded the worldview of countless people. She confronted the horrors of our past and the fissures of our present. Urvashi Butalia joins Amit Varma in episode 287 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life and learnings. Also check out : 1. Urvashi Butalia at Zubaan and Amazon . 2. The Other Side of Silence -- Urvashi Butalia. 3. Zubaan Books and Kali for Women . 4. Turning the Page for Feminism -- Nilanjana Roy on Urvashi Butali...
Jul 25, 2022•4 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 287
He wrote about cricket for decades -- and also turned his piercing gaze on society and himself. Pradeep Magazine joins Amit Varma in episode 286 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his journey, and how it changed him. Also check out : 1. Pradeep Magazine on Twitter , Amazon and Hindustan Times . 2. Not Just Cricket: A Reporter's Journey through Modern India -- Pradeep Magazine. 3. Not Quite Cricket: The Xplosive Story of How Bookmakers Influence the Game Today -- Pradeep Magazine. 4. The Gi...
Jul 18, 2022•3 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 286
Our real heroes are often backstage. Montek Singh Ahluwalia joins Amit Varma in episode 285 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his learnings and the liberalisation of 1991. Also check out : 1. Backstage: The Story behind India’s High Growth Years -- Montek Singh Ahluwalia. 2. Breaking Through: A Memoir -- Isher Judge Ahluwalia. 3. The M Document -- Montek Singh Ahluwalia's legendary note from 1990. 4. The Importance of the 1991 Reforms — Episode 237 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shr...
Jul 11, 2022•3 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 285
A lifetime spent reading, writing and reflecting teaches you a lot. Nilanjana Roy joins Amit Varma in episode 284 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about books, feminism, family, memory and the state of the world. Also check out: 1. Nilanjana Roy on Twitter , Instagram , Amazon , Financial Times , Business Standard and her own website . 2. The Girl Who Ate Books: Adventures in Reading -- Nilanjana Roy. 3. The Wildings -- Nilanjana Roy. 4. The Hundred Names of Darkness -- Nilanjana Roy. 5. Episo...
Jul 04, 2022•6 hr 47 min•Season 1Ep. 284
If leaders are to be judged by their actions, PV Narasimha Rao was our tallest leader. Vinay Sitapati joins Amit Varma in episode 283 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how Rao showed conviction and political skill in going against the tides of the day to enable the 1991 reforms, which brought hundreds of millions of Indians out of poverty Also check out : 1. Half-Lion: How PV Narasimha Rao Transformed India -- Vinay Sitapati. 2. Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi -- Vinay Sitapati. 3. The BJP B...
Jun 27, 2022•4 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 283
He's been an academic who's studied the country, and a businessman who's created wealth and jobs. Now he wants to help India achieve its potential. Naushad Forbes joins Amit Varma in episode 282 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and learnings -- and the roadmap that can help India lift its citizens. Also check out : 1. The Struggle And The Promise: Restoring India's Potential -- Naushad Forbes. 2. Ram Guha Reflects on His Life -- Episode 266 of The Seen and the Unseen. 3. Aakar P...
Jun 20, 2022•3 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 282
He grew up in Cairo, spent many years writing on the Middle East, saw the Arab Spring coming, and was bureau chief of the Economist in South Asia. Max Rodenbeck joins Amit Varma in episode 281 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his experiences in journalism, the lessons he learnt in India, and the troubling ways in which it resembles Egypt. Also check out : 1. Max Rodenbeck on Twitter , The New York Review of Books and Wikipedia . 2. Cairo: The City Victorious -- Max Rodenbeck. 3. Selected stor...
Jun 13, 2022•4 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 281
The world is changing for women -- but is it getting better? Manjima Bhattacharjya joins Amit Varma in episode 280 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her journey as a feminist and why she believes in the long arc. She also talks about her book Intimate City, and the changing face of sex work in India. Also check out : 1. Manjima Bhattacharjya on Twitter , YouTube and Google Scholar . 2. Intimate City -- Manjima Bhattacharjya. 3. Mannequin: Working Women in India's Glamour Industry -- Manjima...
Jun 06, 2022•4 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 280
If you make space for serendipity in your life, good things happen. Abhijit Bhaduri joins Amit Varma in episode 279 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey from the corporate life to the creator economy -- and the lessons he learnt along the way. Also check out : 1. Abhijit Bhaduri on Amazon , LinkedIn , Twitter , Instagram , YouTube and his own website . 2. Dreamers and Unicorns -- Abhijit Bhaduri. 3. The Digital Tsunami -- Abhijit Bhaduri. 4, Selected talks on YouTube by Abhijit Bha...
May 30, 2022•4 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 279
To fight climate change, we need to reform the power sector. Right now, it's dysfunctional. Akshay Jaitly and Ajay Shah join Amit Varma in episode 278 of The Seen and the Unseen to share their roadmap for change. Also check out : 1. Akshay Jaitly on Twitter , Linkedin , Nicheles s and Substack . Ajay Shah on Twitter and Substack . 2. The lowest hanging fruit on the coconut tree: India's climate transition through the price system in the power sector -- Akshay Jaitly and Ajay Shah. 3. Akshay Jait...
May 23, 2022•4 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 278
He grew up breathing Kannada literature -- and he also embraced the globalised world. Sugata Srinivasaraju joins Amit Varma in episode 277 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss this confluence of the old and the new, the near and the far, his society and the world. Also check out : 1. Sugata Srinivasaraju in Outlook , ToI/Mumbai Mirror , New Indian Express , The Wire , Mint , Twitter and his own website . 2. Furrows in a Field -- Sugata Srinivasaraju. 3. Pickles from Home: The Worlds of a Biling...
May 16, 2022•5 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 277
How did one of the greatest nonviolent movements in history emerge from within the supposedly violent Pathans of the wild frontier? Why do poor people in India vote even though there seems to be no point to it? Why does an ancient garment like the sari endure -- but democracy seem in peril? Mukulika Banerjee joins Amit Varma in episode 276 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the questions that kept her up at night -- and the lessons they hold for us. Also check out: 1. Mukulika Banerjee at LSE...
May 09, 2022•5 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 276
We live in times when all Indian Muslims are forced to be aware of their Muslimness. Hussain Haidry joins Amit Varma in episode 275 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his art and these difficult times we live in. Also check out : 1. Hussain Haidry on Twitter , Instagram and IMDb . 2. Hindustani Musalmaan -- Hussain Haidry. 3. Lat -- Hussain Haidry. 4. 10 Poems recommended by Hussain Haidry -- Chalchitra Talks. 5. Being Muslim in India -- Episode 216 of The Seen and the Unseen (w ...
May 02, 2022•5 hr 59 min•Season 1Ep. 275
India is in bad shape. Bad economics is one reason why. Economists Rajeswari Sengupta and Shrayana Bhattacharya join Amit Varma in episode 274 of The Seen and the Unseen to take stock of the mess. You don't like dissent? Too bad. We're Bongs, and you cannot shut us up. Also check out : 1. Shrayana Bhattacharya on Twitter , Instagram and Google Scholar . 2. Rajeswari Sengupta on Google Scholar and her own site . 3. Demystifying GDP -- Episode 130 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rajeswari Sengupta)....
Apr 25, 2022•4 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 274
He's that Blackstratblues guy. He's done rock, blues, sessions work for Bollywood, and you can't put him in a box. Indie music legend Warren Mendonsa joins Amit Varma and guest co-host Chuck Gopal in episode 273 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his career, how he only aims to make music that makes him happy, and the common thread that binds us all. Also check out : 1. Warren Mendonsa on Instagram and Twitter . 2. Blackstratblues music and community . Also, on YouTube and Spotify . 3. Anu...
Apr 18, 2022•3 hr•Season 1Ep. 273
Our freedom fighters didn't just fight the British. They also grappled with each other in the marketplace of ideas and actions. Shruti Kapila joins Amit Varma in episode 272 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe how so many of our founders were also innovative political philosophers -- and how we still fight their battles today. Also check out : 1. Shruti Kapila at Cambridge , The Print and Twitter . 2. Violent Fraternity: Indian Political Thought in the Global Age -- Shruti Kapila. 3. An Intel...
Apr 11, 2022•3 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 272
Deepak Shenoy wants to ask Amit Varma about the creator economy. Amit wants to talk to Deepak about finance and his new book. Episode 271 of The Seen and the Unseen is a crossover episode with the Capital Mind Podcast in which Amit and Deepak get a jugalbandi going. Also check out : 1. Deepak Shenoy on LinkedIn and Twitter . 2. Money Wise: Timeless Lessons on Building Wealth -- Deepak Shenoy. 3. Capitalmind , Deepak Shenoy’s investment research and wealth management company. 4. The Capitalmind P...
Apr 04, 2022•5 hr 55 min•Season 1Ep. 271
Things are bad -- so bad that he's written two books about it. Aakar Patel joins Amit Varma in episode 270 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss politics, the media and his reasons for being hopeful in spite of all the doom and gloom. Also check out : 1. Aakar Patel on Twitter , Amazon , Deccan Chronicle , Business Standard and the Times of India . 2. Our Hindu Rashtra: What It Is. How We Got Here -- Aakar Patel. 3. Price of the Modi Years -- Aakar Patel. 4. The Intellectual Foundations of Hindu...
Mar 28, 2022•3 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 270
A lifetime in diplomacy gave Nirupama Rao an inside view of the making of the first draft of history. She joins Amit Varma in episode 269 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her life lessons -- and what still keeps her buzzing every day. Also check out : 1. Nirupama Rao on Twitter , Substack , Instagram and her own website . Her bio and work are here . 2. The Fractured Himalaya -- Nirupama Rao. 3. A Life in Diplomacy -- Nirupama Rao's talk at Claremont McKenna College. 4. Selected episodes of Th...
Mar 21, 2022•4 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 269
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not just a seminal moment in world history, but a teachable one. Pranay Kotasthane and Nitin Pai join Amit Varma in episode 268 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss concepts and frameworks of foreign policy that can help us make sense of this turmoil. If this subject interests you, consider signing up for Takashshila's GCPP: Defence & Foreign Affairs course . Registration is open for the May Cohort. Also check out : 1. Pranay Kotasthane Talks Public Policy -- Epi...
Mar 14, 2022•3 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 268
Indian mainstream media tends to see our country with the gaze of a privileged North Indian man. That is changing. Dhanya Rajendran joins Amit Varma in episode 267 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her journey in setting up The News Minute, and in deepening our journalism and the conversations we have. Also check out : 1. Dhanya Rajendran on Twitter , Instagram and The News Minute . 2. Support The News Minute . 3. Cut the Clutter . 4. The Life and Times of Abhinandan Sekhri -- Episode 254...
Mar 07, 2022•3 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 267
