So much in history never made it to the popular imagination -- such as the battles of 1967 in which India beat China. Probal DasGupta joins Amit Varma in episode 412 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his time in the Indian army -- and his fascinating discoveries as a military historian. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Probal DasGupta on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn and Amazon . 2. Watershed 1967: India's Forgotten Victory Over China -- Probal DasGupt...
Mar 03, 2025•6 hr 3 min•Ep 412•Transcript available on Metacast Business and life can sometimes be seen more as a search for values than a quest for profit. Private equity pioneer Vishal Nevatia joins Amit Varma in episode 411 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey towards finding his true north. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Vishal Nevatia at True North . 2. Ingredients for high growth firms -- Vishal Nevatia in 2015. 3. Shephali Bhatt Is Searching for the Incredible — Episode 391 of The Seen and the Uns...
Feb 17, 2025•5 hr 46 min•Ep 411•Transcript available on Metacast She's an economist, an institution-builder, an ecosystem-nurturer and one of our finest thinkers. Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 410 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life & times -- and her remarkable work. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Shruti Rajagopalan on Twitter , Substack , Instagram , her podcast, Ideas of India and her own website . 2. Emergent Ventures India . 3. The 1991 Project . 4. Life Lessons That Are Priceless --...
Feb 02, 2025•7 hr 48 min•Ep 410•Transcript available on Metacast He's lived a rich life as a journalist, a human rights activist, an author, a columnist -- and now he's written a great book on Gujaratis. Salil Tripathi joins Amit Varma in episode 409 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his learnings, these times we live in -- and the times that came before. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Salil Tripathi on Twitter , Instagram , Wikipedia , LinkedIn and Amazon . 2. The Gujaratis: A Portrait of a Community -- ...
Jan 20, 2025•6 hr 14 min•Ep 409•Transcript available on Metacast His earlier episodes on this show have been huge hits, and as he completes a trilogy of books, he returns to complete a trilogy of episodes. Amitava Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 408 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about writing, noticing, painting, travelling, trees, and unfulfilled train journeys. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out 1. Amitava Kumar on Instagram , Substack , Twitter , Amazon , Vassar , Granta and his own website . 2. The Green Book: An Obs...
Jan 06, 2025•3 hr 50 min•Ep 408•Transcript available on Metacast He was born in Sikkim and lives in the USA, and in the course of engaging with his identity, has written powerful books of Sikh history, and revived its music. Sarbpreet Singh joins Amit Varma in episode 407 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his writing, his music and the lessons of Sikhism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Sarbpreet Singh on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , Linktree and Amazon . 2. The Story of the Sikhs -- Sarbpreet Singh's ...
Dec 23, 2024•5 hr 32 min•Ep 407•Transcript available on Metacast She worked with Femina for 26 years, 12 of them as editor. And she wrote numerous biographies after that. Sathya Saran joins Amit Varma in episode 406 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss Indian society, feminism, femininity, her life as a journalist and the art of the biography. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Sathya Saran on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook and Amazon . 2. Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey -- Sathya Saran. 3. Sun M...
Dec 09, 2024•4 hr 31 min•Ep 406•Transcript available on Metacast Every simple story about it is wrong: Hinduism contains multitudes. And it went into the directions it did for specific reasons. Manu Pillai joins Amit Varma in episode 405 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe the role of history in the shaping of Hinduism -- and Hindu nationalism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Manu Pillai on Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn , Amazon and his own website . 2. Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Ide...
Nov 25, 2024•6 hr 53 min•Ep 405•Transcript available on Metacast Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. Note : This is Part 2 of a 12-hour episode, being uploaded in two parts now because Spotify and YouTube don't allow uploads over 12 hours. So do listen to Part 1 first -- and if you are on another podcast app, just play the full version if it is there! (FOR FULL LINKE...
Nov 12, 2024•6 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. Note : This is Part 1 of a 12-hour episode, being uploaded in two parts now because Spotify and YouTube don't allow uploads over 12 hours. So if you are on another podcast app, just play the full version if it is there! (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN...
Nov 12, 2024•6 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out 1. Devdutt Pattanaik on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , Wikipedia , YouTube , Amazon and his own website . 2. Myth = Mithya: Decoding Hindu Mythology -- Devdutt Pattanaik. 3. The Girl Who Chose -- Dev...
Nov 11, 2024•12 hr 9 min•Ep 404•Transcript available on Metacast Populism is on the rise everywhere, and the long arc of history has bent away from freedom. Shikha Dalmia joins Amit Varma in episode 403 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the derangements of our modern times -- and the threat that Donald Trump poses. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Shikha Dalmia on Twitter , LinkedIn , Reason , The Week and ISMA . 2. Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism . 3. The UnPopulist . 4. The Seen/Unseen episode on...
Oct 28, 2024•3 hr 8 min•Ep 403•Transcript available on Metacast He's a polymath who cares deeply about the world, tries to understand it, and straddles many fields. He's played a key role over the last few decades in India's journey towards development. Ajay Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 402 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and times. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Ajay Shah on Twitter and Substack . 2. Everything is Everything -- Ajay Shah's YouTube show with Amit Varma. 3. Life Lessons -- A cours...
Oct 14, 2024•10 hr 27 min•Ep 402•Transcript available on Metacast Bloody hell. The world has changed, society looks different, and men and women have to find new ways of relating to each other. We're not equipped for this. Sanjana Ramachandran and Samarth Bansal join Amit Varma in episode 401 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how meeting and mating are both easier and, well, harder. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Sanjana Ramachandran on Twitter , Instagram , Substack , LinkedIn , FiftyTwo and her own website . 2. Sa...
Sep 30, 2024•6 hr 26 min•Ep 401•Transcript available on Metacast It's episode 400, and on this special and unlikely occasion, Shruti Rajagopalan gets Amit Varma to chat about all the life lessons he has learnt during these eight years -- and favourite books, films, music and poetry. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Amit Varma on Twitter , India Uncut , Substack , The Art of Clear Writing , The Seen and the Unseen and Everything is Everything . 2. Shruti Rajagopalan on Twitter , Substack , Instagram and her podcast, Ideas...
Sep 23, 2024•2 hr 13 min•Ep 400•Transcript available on Metacast He's a bestselling writer who's brought Hindi literature into a modern age -- and he also writes films and tells stories. Divya Prakash Dubey joins Amit Varma in episode 399 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his language, his society and his art. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out: 1. Divya Prakash Dubey on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook , IMDb , Amazon and his own website . 2. Musafir Cafe -- Divya Prakash Dubey. 3. October Junction -- Di...
Sep 16, 2024•7 hr 40 min•Ep 399•Transcript available on Metacast She learnt journalism in America and spent many years in South Africa writing a portrait of their troubled society, where everything is complicated and nothing is settled -- much like anywhere else. Eve Fairbanks joins Amit Varma in episode 398 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her work, her craft and the world around her. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Eve Fairbanks on Twitter, LinkedIn and her own website . 2. The Inheritors -- Eve Fair...
Sep 09, 2024•4 hr 22 min•Ep 398•Transcript available on Metacast We take money and banking and finance for granted -- but the way they exist in the world is not the only way they could exist. Lawrence H White joins Amit Varma in episode 397 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss ideas, ideologies, money, crypto and the field he pioneered, free banking. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Lawrence H White on Twitter , Wikipedia , Cato , GMU , Amazon and Google Scholar . 2. Free Banking in Britain – Theory, Experience and Deba...
Sep 02, 2024•4 hr 5 min•Ep 397•Transcript available on Metacast They started out busting misinformation. Then, as fake news became weaponized at an industrial scale, they become warriors not just for truth, but for a better society. Mohammed Zubair and Pratik Sinha join Amit Varma in episode 396 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about their life, their work and their country. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Mohammed Zubair on Twitter , Instagram and Alt News . 2. Pratik Sinha on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook and Alt ...
Aug 26, 2024•5 hr 21 min•Ep 396•Transcript available on Metacast She's an authority in the field of foreign policy -- and what makes her such a force is her deep curiosity about, well, everything. Tanvi Madan joins Amit Varma in episode 395 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her learnings and this changing world. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Tanvi Madan at Brookings , War on the Rocks and Twitter . 2. Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations During the Cold War -- Tanvi Madan. 3. The Glob...
Aug 19, 2024•4 hr 15 min•Ep 395•Transcript available on Metacast Why is our political discourse so polarised? Why do we shout past each other instead of talking to each other? Arnold Kling joins Amit Varma in episode 394 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, the state of the world and how a fourth language has joined the three he mentioned in his seminal book on political discourse. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Arnold Kling on Wikipedia , Twitter , Amazon and his own website . 2. In My Tribe -- Arnold Kling...
Aug 12, 2024•3 hr 54 min•Ep 394•Transcript available on Metacast She grew up reading three books a day, became a high-flying consultant, and then became hyperfocused on healthcare. Amrita Agarwal joins Amit Varma in episode 393 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her learnings from years of studying the field. Also discussed: first-principles thinking, consulting, philanthropy, longevity and sunscreen. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Amrita Agarwal at LinkedIn . 2. Lant Pritchett Is on Team Prosperity — Episode 379 of T...
Aug 05, 2024•4 hr 22 min•Ep 393•Transcript available on Metacast He's an economist who cares more about people than numbers -- and he thinks his field needs more sociology and anthropology in it. Vijayendra (Biju) Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 392 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about what makes him angry, what drives him forward and what brings him peace. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Vijayendra (Biju) Rao on Twitter , Google Scholar, The World Bank and his own website . 2. Biju Rao's blog at the World Bank. 3. ...
Jul 29, 2024•4 hr 54 min•Ep 392•Transcript available on Metacast The internet has changed the way we live -- and someone needs to make sense of it all. Shephali Bhatt joins Amit Varma in episode 391 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe all that she has learnt through her deep dives into popular culture, the creator economy, this turbulent society and her Mamaji's library. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Shephali Bhatt on Twitter/X , LinkedIn , Econom ic Times , Mint and Instagram . 2. Santosh Desai is Watching You — E...
Jul 22, 2024•4 hr 21 min•Ep 391•Transcript available on Metacast He started in advertising in 1979, became a pioneering ad filmmaker, broke new ground in Indian television, and is the managing trainee of his own life. Sanjiv Sharma joins Amit Varma in episode 390 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his frameworks for living. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Sanjiv Sharma on Instagram , Twitter , IMDb and LInkedIn . 2. Divya Prakash Dubey on Instagram , Wikipedia , LinkedIn , IMDb , Twitter , Amazon and his own website . ...
Jul 15, 2024•5 hr 30 min•Ep 390•Transcript available on Metacast The world is complex. The state is primitive. Regulation is where they meet. Bhargavi Zaveri-Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 389 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her experiences with the regulatory state at the intersection of law & economics. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Bhargavi Zaveri Shah on Twitter , LinkedIn , The Leap Blog and her own website . 2. The accountability framework of UIDAI: Concerns and solutions -- Vrinda Bhandari and Renuka Sa...
Jul 07, 2024•4 hr 50 min•Ep 389•Transcript available on Metacast He's an elder statesman in the worlds of journalism, policy and economics in India -- and he takes the long view. Niranjan Rajadhyaksha joins Amit Varma in episode 388 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. Niranjan Rajadhyaksha on Twitter , Mint and Artha Global . 2. The Rise of India -- NIranjan Rajadhyaksha. 3. Niranjan Rajadhyaksha interviewed in Marathi by Think Bank: Part 1 . Part 2 . 4. MV Ra...
Jul 01, 2024•4 hr 50 min•Ep 388•Transcript available on Metacast Our greatest moral imperative is to solve the problem of poverty -- and after over 75 years, we still have some distance to travel. Rajeswari Sengupta joins Amit Varma in episode 387 of The Seen and the Unseen for a deep dive into how we got here, where we went wrong, what we got right, and how we should look at the Indian economy going forward. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out: 1. Rajeswari Sengupta's homepage . 2. Demystifying GDP — Episode 130 of The Seen and...
Jun 24, 2024•10 hr 54 min•Ep 387•Transcript available on Metacast Our cities have changed -- but the ways in which they are governed and imagined can take time to catch up. Shashi Verma joins Amit Varma in episode 386 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey in thought and action -- and his pioneering work in reshaping urban transport. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Shashi Verma on LinkedIn and Centre for London . 2. Shashi Verma on Transport in the 21st Century -- Episode 83 of Brave New World, hosted by Vasa...
Jun 17, 2024•5 hr 2 min•Ep 386•Transcript available on Metacast To understand modern India, we must understand the history of Hindutva -- and we must wrestle with Savarkar. Vinayak Chaturvedi joins Amit Varma in episode 385 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life and work as a historian -- and the importance of history in shaping the present moment. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) (This episode was recorded in March, 2024.) Also check out : 1. Vinayak Chaturvedi at UC Irvine and Amazon . 2. Hindutva and Violence: VD Savarkar and th...
Jun 10, 2024•5 hr 39 min•Ep 385•Transcript available on Metacast 
