India is like a caged tiger -- and the cage is unseen by most and difficult to break through. Subhashish Bhadra joins Amit Varma in episode 333 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe the many ways in which the Indian state holds back the Indian people -- and also to introspect on his own journey. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Subhashish Bhadra on LinkedIn , Instagram and Twitter . 2. Caged Tiger: How Too Much Government Is Holding Indians Back -- Subhash...
Jun 12, 2023•3 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 333
She's been a historian and a filmmaker. She's worked on feminism and caste and Buddhism. She's collected oral histories of India's traumas. She's mentored generations. The legendary Uma Chakravarti joins Amit Varma in episode 332 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her times and her invaluable work towards the pursuit of truth. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Uma Chakkravarti on Wikipedia and Amazon . 2. The Social Dimensions of Early Buddhi...
Jun 05, 2023•5 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 332
It is not the world that is the problem but the flawed ways in which we think about it. Gurwinder Bhogal joins Amit Varma in episode 331 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his interest in meta-cognition -- and what it reveals about us and the world. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Gurwinder Bhogal on Substack and Twitter . 2. My Story -- Gurwinder Bhogal. 3. Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things -- Gurwinder Bhogal. 4. The Perils of Audience Capture...
May 29, 2023•2 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 331
He's a freethinker who's never been scared to rattle orthodoxies. Eric Weinstein joins Amit Varma in episode 330 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about how he became the man he is. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Eric Weinstein on Twitter , Instagram , YouTube and his own website . 2. Eric Weinstein on The Joe Rogan Experience ( 1 , 2 ) and Lex Fridman ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ). 3. Eric Weinstein in Karjat, 1986 . 4. The Road Not Taken -- Robert Frost. 5. Stoppi...
May 22, 2023•2 hr 53 min•Season 1Ep. 330
He gave up a staggeringly successful career to live a quiet life -- and now he shares his wisdom with us. Murali Neelakantan joins Amit Varma in episode 329 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the life he has lived and the lessons he has learnt. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Murali Neelankantan on Twitter and LinkedIn . 2. An Idea of a Law School -- NR Madhava Menon, Murali Neelakantan and Sumeet Malik. 3. Akshaya Mukul and the Life of Agyeya -- Epi...
May 16, 2023•6 hr 50 min•Season 1Ep. 329
Her career spans decades and genres, and she's brought together worlds that seldom meet. Kiran Ahluwalia joins Amit Varma in episode 328 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life, her music and the ethic that binds it all together. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Song Timecodes : Rabba Ru: 34:56 Har Khayal : 01:06:00 Awara : 02:00:12 Dil: 03:08:30 Zindagi : 04:11:45 Pancake: 4:16:56 Jaane Jahan : 04:21:13 Mustt Mustt: 04:27:25 Hayat: 04:31:40 We Sinful Women : 4:36:40 Al...
May 08, 2023•4 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 328
George Fernandes was an activist, politician, minister, thinker -- and was as complicated as the times he lived in. Rahul Ramagundam joins Amit Varma in episode 327 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his biography of Fernandes, the decades he lived through, and this country that kept changing, changing, changing. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Rahul Ramagundam at Jamia Millia Islamia , Amazon , LinkedIn and Google Scholar . 2. The Life and Times of Geo...
May 01, 2023•4 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 327
He taught international relations for a living, and he lived Indian culture -- food, clothes, music, films, languages, the whole package. Pushpesh Pant joins Amit Varma in episode 326 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his times and this beautiful country he loves so much. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out: 1. Pushpesh Pant on Amazon , Twitter and YouTube . 2. India: Cookbook -- Pushpesh Pant. 3. The Life and Times of Mrinal Pande — Episode 263 of...
Apr 24, 2023•5 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 326
Women in India are much more than either bechari, badass or bitch -- and they won't be defined any more by the male gaze. Shaili Chopra joins Amit Varma in episode 325 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life, her learnings and why she won't hold back on her anger. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Shaili Chopra on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , Amazon and her own website . 2. Sisterhood Economy -- Shaili Chopra. 3. SheThePeople.tv and GyTree . 4. Le...
Apr 17, 2023•4 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 325
Agyeya was a writer, a rebel, a soldier, a lover-- and a man who shaped modern Hindi literature. Akshaya Mukul joins Amit Varma in episode 324 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the life of this remarkable man -- as well as the art of biography and the state of the nation. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Akshaya Mukul on Amazon and Twitter . 2. Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya -- Akshaya Mukul. 3. Gita Press and the Making of H...
Apr 10, 2023•4 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 324
What happened at SVB? Is our banking system in crisis? What are we to make of our economy? Ajay Shah and Mohit Satynanand join Amit Varma in episode 323 of The Seen and the Unseen to tackle these complicated questions and more. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Ajay Shah ( Twitter , Substack ) and Mohit Satyanand ( Twitter , Substack ). 2. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Ajay Shah: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 . 3. Episodes of The Seen and the ...
Apr 03, 2023•3 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 323
She's been an author, an entrepreneur, a literary agent, an organiser of events and a mother -- but her finest achievement is perhaps her making of herself. Mita Kapur joins Amit Varma in episode 322 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the life she has lived, and what it has taught her. Much talk of writing, food, patriarchy and motherhood. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Mita Kapur at Siyahi , Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn and her own website . 2. T...
Mar 27, 2023•4 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 322
He's a renowned economist, he's worked in the IMF, he's an Asia specialist and he loves India. Josh Felman joins Amit Varma in episode 321 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his times, and all that he has learnt about economics and human beings. This episode is co-hosted by Ajay Shah. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Josh Felman on Twitter , Project Syndicate , JH Consulting and The Marginal Economist . 2. Why India Can’t Replace China -- Ar...
Mar 20, 2023•4 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 321
India is run in a top-down way with a Northern bias -- and this is a problem. Nilakantan RS joins Amit Varma in episode 320 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how and why our Southern states perform so much better -- and are punished for it. Also discussed: virtue ethics, the charms of Madras and the dangers of storytelling. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out: 1. Nilakantan RS on Twitter , YouTube and Instagram . 2. South vs North: India's Great Divide -- Nilak...
Mar 13, 2023•3 hr 59 min•Season 1Ep. 320
It is a truth universally acknowledged that anyone possessed of an obsession will run into the forces of inertia. Jahnavi Phalkey joins Amit Varma in episode 319 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her history of nuclear physics in India, the men who brought a cyclotron to Chandigarh to study the world -- and her own quest to make common people love science. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Jahnavi Phalkey on Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn . 2. Atomic S...
Mar 06, 2023•4 hr 50 min•Season 1Ep. 319
The task of nation-building did not end with our founders, and does not stop at our politicians. It's up to us to build the India we want to see. Nitin Pai joins Amit Varma in episode 318 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his learnings and his liberal nationalism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Nitin Pai on his own website , Mint & Mastodon . 2. The Nitopadesha -- Moral Tales for Good Citizens. 3. The archives of The Acorn , Nitin Pai...
Feb 27, 2023•5 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 318
Samaaj came before Sarkaar and Bazaar. We are more than subjects of the state and consumers of the market. Rohini Nilekani joins Amit Varma in episode 317 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life and her learnings, why citizens need to embrace their agency -- and why those with wealth have a special responsibility. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out 1. Rohini Nilekani on Amazon , Wikipedia and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies . 2. Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar : A c...
Feb 20, 2023•3 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 317
He's a guitarist, a composer, a producer, an audio engineer and a teacher. Gaurav Chintamani joins Amit Varma in episode 316 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his reflections on music and life. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Gaurav Chintamani at Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , SACAC and his own website . 2. Advaita on YouTube Music , YouTube , Spotify , Instagram and Twitter . 3. Raman Negi on YouTube Music , YouTube , Spotify , Instagram and Twitter ....
Feb 13, 2023•6 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 316
The Ramayana is not one book, but a living text with countless versions across languages, each reflecting the values of its time and place. Arshia Sattar joins Amit Varma to share her insights from decades of study. Also discussed: the art of translation -- and our search for dharma. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out 1. Arshia Sattar on Amazon , Open and Wikipedia . 2. Valmiki's Ramayana -- Translated by Arshia Sattar. 3. Maryada: Searching for Dharma in the Rama...
Feb 06, 2023•4 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 315
Poet, novelist, translator, journalist, crime fiction writer, children's book author, teacher, math tutor: now here is a man who contains multitudes. Jerry Pinto joins Amit Varma in episode 314 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and learnings. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Jerry Pinto on Instagram , Amazon and his own website . 2. Em and the Big Hoom -- Jerry Pinto. 3. The Education of Yuri -- Jerry Pinto. 4. Murder in Mahim -- Jerry Pinto...
Jan 30, 2023•8 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 314
Public policy may seem arcane and complicated, a field only for geeks. But all our lives are shaped by it. Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley join Amit Varma in episode 313 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe their efforts to make policy great again. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Missing In Action: Why You Should Care About Public Policy -- Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley. 2. Anticipating the Unintended — Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu Sanjaylal...
Jan 23, 2023•4 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 313
He is an IAS officer who has just co-written a book about Gandhian social workers in Vidarbha. Ashutosh Salil joins Amit Varma in episode 312 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the difficult work of bringing about change from within society -- and from within the state. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Ashutosh Salil on Twitter , Amazon and Outlook . 2. Being the Change: In the Footsteps of the Mahatma -- Ashutosh Salil and Barkha Mathur. 3. Friendshi...
Jan 16, 2023•3 hr 53 min•Season 1Ep. 312
She's been a novelist, a playwright, a critic, an essayist, a memoirist, a journalist, a writer for cinema and a historian of theatre -- in both English and Marathi. Shanta Gokhale joins Amit Varma in episode 311 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her remarkable life and times. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Shanta Gokhale on Amazon , Wikipedia and her own website . 2. One Foot on the Ground -- Shanta Gokhale. 3. Living With Father: A Memoir -- Shan...
Jan 09, 2023•8 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 311
Known online as The Liver Doctor, he's a crusader against quackery of all sorts. Cyriac Abby Philips joins Amit Varma in episode 310 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey to becoming a doctor-scientist, the breakthroughs in his field, what he has learnt as a physician -- and the dangers of 'alternative medicine.' (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Abby Philips on Twitter , YouTube , Instagram , Google Scholar , Rajagiri Hospital and The Morning C...
Jan 02, 2023•4 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 310
As 2022 draws to a close, it's time to chill. Vikram Sathaye and Roshan Abbas join Amit Varma in episode 309 of The Seen and the Unseen to share wit, wisdom and life lessons that are priceless. There is cricket, there is singing, there are great bad jokes -- never has insight been so much fun! (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Roshan Abbas at Instagram , Twitter and his own website . 2. Vikram Sathaye at Instagram , Twitter and YouTube . 3. Roshan Abbas and ...
Dec 26, 2022•7 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 309
Borders and nation states can sometimes seek to divide communities -- but isn't that a bit like cutting water with a knife? Saaz Aggarwal joins Amit Varma in episode 308 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her work chronicling the history and culture of the Sindhi people -- and her own rich life as a writer and artist. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Saaz Aggarwal on Amazon , Instagram , LinkedIn , Scroll , Open and her own website . 2. Sindh: Stories fr...
Dec 19, 2022•3 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 308
Indian society, the Indian state and the Indian economy are all complex beasts that defy simple narratives. Suyash Rai joins Amit Varma in episode 307 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe how he has tried to make sense of it all -- and how he tries to make a difference. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Suyash Rai at Carnegie India , Twitter and The Print . 2. Ideas and Institutions -- The Carnegie India newsletter co-written by Suyash Rai. 3. Interpreting...
Dec 12, 2022•6 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 307
Society cannot be designed in a top-down way. Central planning was a historic blunder that harmed India -- even though it was conceived by great men with good intentions. Nikhil Menon joins Amit Varma in episode 306 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the flawed genius PC Mahalanobis, the planning commission, and his own life as a scholar. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Nikhil Menon on Amazon and University of Notre Dame . 2. Planning Democracy: How ...
Dec 05, 2022•4 hr 39 min•Season 1Ep. 306
She's been a journalist for half a century, wrote the definitive book on the Emergency, and is revered for her political insight. Coomi Kapoor joins Amit Varma in episode 305 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life, Indian politics and the state of our media. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out : 1. Inside Track -- Coomi Kapoor's column in the Indian Express . 2. The Emergency: A Personal History -- Coomi Kapoor. 3. The Tatas, Freddie Mercury & Other Baw...
Nov 28, 2022•2 hr 47 min•Season 1Ep. 305
Food is more than just sustenance for the body. Food contains stories, memories, emotions, and the ingredients of the self. Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage join Amit Varma in episode 304 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe their journeys in food, from starting cult restaurants like Bombay Canteen and O Pedro, to setting up the pathbreaking Bombay Sweet Shop, to now taking that deeper dive into the role food plays in our society. (For full linked show notes, go to SeenUnseen.in. ) Also check out ...
Nov 21, 2022•3 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 304
