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.
Episode 404: Devdutt Pattanaik and the Stories That Shape Us
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.
Episode 403: Shikha Dalmia Is the Unpopulist
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.
Episode 402: Ajay Shah Brings the Dreams of the 20th Century
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.
Episode 401: Finding Love in Modern India
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.
Episode 400: Life Lessons That Are Priceless
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.
Episode 399: Divya Prakash Dubey: Ek Jeevani
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.
Episode 398: Eve Fairbanks Examines a Fractured Society
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.
Episode 397: Larry White and the First Principles of Money
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.
Episode 396: Mohammed Zubair and Pratik Sinha Are Fighting for Us
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.
Episode 395: Tanvi Madan Is the Kid Who Asked Why
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.
Episode 394: Arnold Kling and the Four Languages of Politics
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.
Episode 393: Amrita Agarwal Wants to Solve Healthcare
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.
Episode 392: Biju Rao Won’t Bow to Conventional Wisdom
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.
Episode 391: Shephali Bhatt Is Searching for the Incredible
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.
Episode 390: Sanjiv Sharma Sails Through 45 Years of Indian Entertainment
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.
Episode 389: Bhargavi Zaveri-Shah Will Not Wear a Blue Tie to Work
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.
Episode 388: Niranjan Rajadhyaksha Is the Impartial Spectator
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.
Episode 387: The Life and Times of the Indian Economy
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.
Episode 386: Shashi Verma Made London Move
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.
Episode 385: Vinayak Calling Vinayak
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.
Episode 384: Narayan Ramachandran Is Playing the Long Game
He has lived two lives: first he reached the top of the corporate ladder and became a top banker; and now he is embarked upon the long game of changing India. Narayan Ramachandran joins Amit Varma in episode 384 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about stimulating change, building institutions — and making ideas and serendipity come together.
Episode 383: Arati Kumar-Rao Took a One-Way Ticket
She gave up a corporate career to live a slow life: to travel, to immerse, to write, to learn to see. Arati Kumar-Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 383 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her writing, her photography and the lessons she has learnt by standing still and looking.
Episode 382: Kushal Mehra Dives Into Hindu Thought
He describes himself as a dharmik skeptic, and has written a book about how atheism evolved within Hindu philosophy. Kushal Mehra joins Amit Varma in episode 382 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his intellectual evolution– and his journey as a podcaster.
Episode 381: V Vinay Has Lived a Life of Science
He created the iconic Simputer, and has lived a life that married science and its applications. V Vinay joins Amit Varma in episode 381 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his journey and what it taught him.
Episode 380: Sowmya Dhanaraj Is Making a Difference
How do women live in India? How do workers live? What impact can economics have in the real world? Sowmya Dhanaraj joins Amit Varma in episode 380 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her life, her work and the churn in our society.
Episode 379: Lant Pritchett Is on Team Prosperity
He’s one of the great economists of our times, always focussed on the big questions, no matter how hard they are. Lant Pritchett joins Amit Varma in episode 379 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his work and what he has learnt about the world.
Episode 378: Rohit Lamba Will Never Be Bezubaan
He is an economist with the soul of a poet. He has studied number theory and is an expert on policy. He has studied Urdu and and dreams in shairi. Rohit Lamba joins Amit Varma in episode 378 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss economics, politics, society and our human condition.
Episode 377: Malini Goyal is the Curious One
As a journalist, she always went deep. As an author, she has peeled off layers of Bengaluru — and Indian society. Malini Goyal joins Amit Varma in episode 377 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her insights — and the values that shape her work.
Episode 376: Postcards From Utsav Mamoria
When he travels, he’s a man of reflection. When he creates, he’s a man of action. Utsav Mamoria joins Amit Varma in episode 376 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his philosophy towards travel, creating and living.
Episode 375: Karthik Muralidharan and the Bureaucrat’s Burden
To reform India, you must reform the Indian state. Karthik Muralidharan joins Amit Varma in episode 375 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his much-awaited new book that has finally released — and the chapters on it that deal with our bureaucracy.
Episode 374: Making Policy Fun with Khyati Pathak and Friends
Economics and public policy touch all our lives, and have humanitarian consequences. But isn’t it damn boring? No! Khyati Pathak, Anupam Manur and Pranay Kotasthane join Amit Varma in episode 374 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk policy and comics — and how they came together in their book, We the Citizens.
Episode 373: Deepak VS and the Man Behind His Face
He’s an entrepreneur who thinks deeply about the world, and some of his ideas could make your brain explode. Deepak VS joins Amit Varma in episode 373 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his thoughts on entrepreneurship, education, morality, life and the old hag who sits on your chest.
Episode 372: Manjula Padmanabhan is a Forever Outsider
She’s a comic-strip artist, a playwright, a science fiction author — a creator who doesn’t fit into any box. Manjula Padmanabhan joins Amit Varma in episode 372 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life and learnings.
Episode 371: Ram Guha Writes a Letter to a Friend
His latest book looks back at a friendship — and at a world gone by. Ramachandra Guha joins Amit Varma in episode 371 of The Seen and the Unseen to shoot the breeze and share some memories.
Episode 370: Yugank Goyal Is out of the Box
So what if he is an academic? He is also an an original thinker with deep insights about education, elections, colonisation, politics, history, society. Yugank Goyal joins Amit Varma in episode 370 of The Seen and the Unseen to throw thought-bomb after thought-bomb at all of us.
Episode 369: The Life and Times of Ira Pande
She’s a writer. She’s a translator. She’s as old as this Republic, and she knows it well. Ira Pande joins Amit Varma in episode 369 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life and her learnings.
Episode 368: Irfan, the Keeper of Memories
He’s a master of the longform conversation, a connoisseur of the past, a man steeped in culture. Syed Mohd Irfan joins Amit Varma in episode 368 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his times, his learnings — and Guftagoo!
Episode 367: Swapna Liddle and the Many Shades of Delhi
Delhi has had a mad history — and that history has shaped our culture, our art, our languages, our society. Swapna Liddle joins Amit Varma in episode 367 of The Seen and the Unseen to take us on a walk through space and time.
Episode 366: Arghya Sengupta and the Engine Room of Law
He’s been an important force in shaping legal policy over the last decade. He’s written an essential book on our constitution. He’s worked closely with government — but done so with a sense of public purpose. Arghya Sengupta joins Amit Varma in episode 366 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his work and his learnings.
Episode 365: Rakhshanda Jalil Watches the Changing World
You could think of her as someone who tries to preserve a fading world — or to chronicle a changing one. Rakhshanda Jalil joins Amit Varma in episode 365 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about literature, language and loss.