He's been a consultant, an expert on the financial sector, and now lives a life of the mind. Harsh Vardhan joins Amit Varma in episode 352 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life and learnings. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Harsh Vardhan on The Leap Blog , Ideas for India , Money Control and Bloomberg Quint . 2. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Ajay Shah: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 . 3. Gabriel García Márquez , I...
Oct 23, 2023•3 hr 5 min•Ep 352•Transcript available on Metacast She's been a journalist, travelled the world, lived in nine countries, fought and beaten cancer -- and written about it all in exquisite prose. Pallavi Aiyar joins Amit Varma in episode 351 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life and learnings. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Pallavi Aiyar on Substack , Amazon , Twitter and her own website . 2. Smoke and Mirrors -- Pallavi Aiyar. 3. Orienting -- Pallavi Aiyar. 4. Babies and Bylines -- Pallavi Aiy...
Oct 16, 2023•3 hr 13 min•Ep 351•Transcript available on Metacast He built a career and a life through sheer force of will -- and he applies that intentionality to everything in his life. Sudhir Sarnobat joins Amit Varma in episode 350 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his learnings and the frameworks he wants to share with others. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Sudhir Sarnobat on Twitter and LinkedIn . 2. How Frameworks -- Sudhir Sarnobat's new venture. 3. Ascent Foundation . 4. The Crypto Masterclass ...
Oct 09, 2023•5 hr 23 min•Ep 350•Transcript available on Metacast Why did the Middle East fall behind Europe despite being in a similar state in 1000 AD? How do modern authoritarians benefit from our tendency to falsify our preferences? Timur Kuran joins Amit Varma in episode 349 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his learnings from history -- and what they teach us about today. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Timur Kuran on Twitter , Wikipedia , Google Scholar and Duke University . 2. Private Truths, Public Lies -- Tim...
Oct 02, 2023•5 hr 20 min•Ep 349•Transcript available on Metacast From Ganja Park in Kolkata to lock-ups in 13 countries, he has travelled the world and lived through mad times. Devangshu Datta joins Amit Varma in episode 348 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss Bengalis who make bombs, Gujaratis who make fetish costumes, his river pirate ancestors and how Only Fans has disrupted Pornhub. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Devangshu Datta on Twitter and Business Standard . 2. Previous (miniature) episodes of The Seen and t...
Sep 25, 2023•5 hr 29 min•Ep 348•Transcript available on Metacast It might seem to be a subject that would interest only wonks and retirees, but "pensions can reshape an entire society." Ajay Shah and Renuka Sane join Amit Varma in episode 347 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why -- and to take a deep dive into the crisis India is facing right now. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Ajay Shah on Twitter and Substack . 2. Renuka Sane on Twitter and The Print . 3. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Ajay Shah: 1 , 2...
Sep 18, 2023•3 hr 11 min•Ep 347•Transcript available on Metacast She's been a journalist, an editor, a columnist, a novelist -- someone who sees the world and writes it down. Seema Goswami joins Amit Varma in episode 346 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life and times, and what they taught her. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Seema Goswami on Twitter , Instagram , Amazon and her own site . 2. Seema Goswami's column in HT Brunch . 3. Woman on Top -- Seema Goswami. 4. Race Course Road -- Seema Goswami. 5. Mada...
Sep 11, 2023•3 hr 20 min•Ep 346•Transcript available on Metacast If Bihar was a country, it would be both one of the largest and one of the poorest in the world. How did we get here? What can we do? Mohit Satyanand and Kumar Anand join Amit Varma in episode 345 of The Seen and the Unseen to share their insights from a lifetime of study -- and a road trip they took last year. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Mohit Satyanand ( Twitter , Instagram , IMdB ) and Kumar Anand ( Twitter ). 2. Gimme Mo -- Mohit Satyanand's newsle...
Sep 04, 2023•3 hr 16 min•Ep 345•Transcript available on Metacast She's a journalist, a satirist and a connoisseur of bullshit. Manisha Pande joins Amit Varma in episode 344 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her learnings and the lamentable state of our nation and our journalism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Manisha Pande on Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn and Newslaundry . 2. TV Newsance . 3. Newslaundry . 4. Rahul Gandhi interviewed by Arnab Goswami (2014), Samdish and Curly Tails . 5. Newslaundry on...
Aug 28, 2023•3 hr 27 min•Ep 344•Transcript available on Metacast Our statues must eat ice cream, our cities must be designed by cardiovascular surgeons, and we must all go to the fifth temple. Krish Ashok and Naren Shenoy join Amit Varma in episode 343 of The Seen and the Unseen to banter away a few perfectly good hours. What a waste of time, eh? NO! (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Krish Ashok on Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , his own website and Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud . 2. Naren Shenoy on Twitter , Instagr...
Aug 21, 2023•5 hr 59 min•Ep 343•Transcript available on Metacast Everything about the world must be rethought -- and Vitalik Buterin is on it. He joins Amit Varma and guest co-host Ajay Shah in episode 342 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss currencies, freedom, political philosophy, community, aging and why we need not be too scared of men with guns. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Vitalik Buterin on Twitter and his own website . 2. Ending Aging -- Aubrey de Grey. 3. The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant -- Nick Bostrom. 4....
Aug 14, 2023•4 hr 30 min•Ep 342•Transcript available on Metacast She's one of our finest thinkers, and has devoted her life to public policy and building this country. Yamini Aiyar joins Amit Varma in episode 341 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life, her learnings and how the Indian state can be reformed. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Yamini Aiyar at Twitter , Deccan Herald , Hindustan Times and Center for Policy Research . 2. The Curious Case of the Powerful yet Powerless Bureaucrat -- BSC Seminar with Yami...
Aug 07, 2023•5 hr 31 min•Ep 341•Transcript available on Metacast He's a philosopher, a political theorist, a runner, a wine lover, an Ambedkarite -- and he used to be a Dharma Bum. Aakash Singh Rathore joins Amit Varma in episode 340 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his unusual journey and his unconventional insights. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Aakash Singh Rathore on Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , Amazon , Deccan Herald and his own website . 2. Poorva Paksha -- Aakash Singh Rathore's columns in Deccan Herald...
Jul 31, 2023•5 hr 55 min•Ep 340•Transcript available on Metacast She's a filmmaker, feminist, artist, writer -- impossible to pin down, a connoisseur of multitudes. Paromita Vohra joins Amit Varma in episode 339 of The Seen and the Unseen to shoot the breeze and share her thoughts on Covid, relationships, the garden of consent, how being a misfit can be liberating and what she means by Poetic Feminism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Paromita Vohra on Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn , IMDb and Parodevi Pictures . 2. Paro...
Jul 24, 2023•5 hr 49 min•Ep 339•Transcript available on Metacast There are few spaces in the world more intense than an intensive care unit, where life hangs in the balance, where nothing can be taken for granted. Nitin Arora joins Amit Varma in episode 338 of The Seen and the Unseen to speak about the history and evolution of intensive care, what Covid taught him and why he speaks more Punjabi in Birmingham than in Amritsar. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Nitin Arora on Twitter , LinkedIn , ResearchGate , Google Schol...
Jul 17, 2023•4 hr 32 min•Ep 338•Transcript available on Metacast To live the examined life, we have to examine our own desires. Luke Burgis joins Amit Varma in episode 337 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his insights into human nature -- and to talk about his own evolution as a person and a thinker. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Luke Burgis on Twitter , Instagram and his own website . 2. Wanting -- Luke Burgis. 3. Anti-Mimetic -- Luke's newsletter. 4. Ride/Drive -- Another newsletter by Luke. 5. Speaking Out (Of O...
Jul 10, 2023•4 hr 18 min•Ep 337•Transcript available on Metacast In a democracy, every vote should be equal. But in India, that's not the case. Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 336 of The Seen and the Unseen to give a detailed primer into the complex issue of Delimitation -- and to suggest her own radical solution. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Shruti Rajagopalan on Twitter , Substack , Instagram and her podcast, Ideas of India . 2. Demography, Delimitation, and Democracy -- Shruti Rajagopalan's detailed...
Jul 03, 2023•3 hr 21 min•Ep 336•Transcript available on Metacast The war in Ukraine may seem distant -- but it affects us all in a million unseen ways. Ajay Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 335 of The Seen and the Unseen to deliver an in-depth masterclass on exactly what is going on. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. Ajay Shah on Twitter and Substack . 2. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Ajay Shah: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 . 3. In Service of the Republic — Vijay Kelkar and Ajay Shah. 4. Rising to the...
Jun 26, 2023•5 hr 18 min•Ep 335•Transcript available on Metacast He was a physician, and then an IAS officer, and then a universally-respected politician. Jayaprakash Narayan joins Amit Varma in episode 334 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his lifelong quest to complete our task of nation-building. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN. ) Also check out : 1. A Life in Indian Politics — Episode 149 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Jayaprakash Narayan). 2. The State of Indian Politics — Episode 50 of The Seen and the Unseen (w JP Narayan). 3. The ...
Jun 19, 2023•4 hr 47 min•Ep 334•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 333•Transcript available on Metacast 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•6 hr 46 min•Ep 332•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 331•Transcript available on Metacast 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•3 hr 53 min•Ep 330•Transcript available on Metacast 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•7 hr 50 min•Ep 329•Transcript available on Metacast 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•5 hr 43 min•Ep 328•Transcript available on Metacast 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•5 hr 32 min•Ep 327•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 326•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 325•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 324•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 323•Transcript available on Metacast 
