He is a writer, an actor, a poet, a storyteller, an anti-storyteller — and he cares about both the world outside and the one inside. Danish Husain joins Amit Varma in episode 359 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and learnings.
Also check out:
1. Danish Husain on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Wikipedia and IMDb.
2. TheHoshrubaRepertory, Qisse
3. Danish Husain interviewed by Irfan for Jashn-e-Rekhta.
4. The art of storytelling — Danish Husain interviewed by Purva Naresh.
5. ‘Becoming the story when performing it’ — Danish Husain interviewed by Roanna Gonsalves.
6. The 27 Club.
7. Self-Portrait — AK Ramanujan.
8. The Mysterious Arrival of an Unusual Letter — Mark Strand.
9. Collected Poems — Mark Strand.
10. Man’s Search For Meaning — Viktor E Frankl.
11. The Importance of Satya — Episode 241 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Uday Bhatia).
12. Amitava Kumar Finds the Breath of Life — Episode 265 of The Seen and the Unseen.
13. Aadha Gaon — Rahi Masoom Raza.
14. Out of Place: A Memoir — Edward Said.
15. The Incredible Insights of Timur Kuran — Episode 349 of The Seen and the Unseen.
16. Private Truths, Public Lies — Timur Kuran.
17. Varun Grover Is in the House — Episode 292 of The Seen and the Unseen.
18. The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism — Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul).
19. Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India — Akshaya Mukul.
20. Where Have All The Leaders Gone? — Amit Varma.
21. Santosh Desai is Watching You — Episode 356 of The Seen and the Unseen.
22. The Life and Times of Nilanjana Roy — Episode 284 of The Seen and the Unseen.
23. Bombay–London–New York — Amitava Kumar.
24. Fighting Fake News — Episode 133 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pratik Sinha).
25. Sample SSR conspiracy theory: He’s alive!
26. Life is Elsewhere — Milan Kundera.
27. The Four Quadrants of Conformism — Paul Graham.
28. Ignaz Semmelweis on Britannica and Wikipedia.
29. India’s Tryst With Pandemics — Episode 205 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Chinmay Tumbe).
30. Age of Pandemics — Chinmay Tumbe.
31. Kashi Ka Assi — Kashinath Singh.
32. A Meditation on Form — Amit Varma.
33. Scene: 75 — Rahi Masoom Raza (translated by Poonam Saxena).
34. Folktales From India — Edited by AK Ramanujan.
35. The Indianness of Indian Food — Episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vikram Doctor).
36. The Refreshing Audacity of Vinay Singhal — Episode 291 of The Seen and the Unseen.
37. Stage.in.
38. The Age of Average — Alex Murrell.
39. Nothing is Indian! Everything is Indian! — Episode 12 of Everything is Everything.
40. Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India through Its Languages — Peggy Mohan.
41. Understanding India Through Its Languages — Episode 232 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Peggy Mohan).
42. Early Indians — Tony Joseph.
43. Early Indians — Episode 112 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tony Joseph).
44. Caste, Capitalism and Chandra Bhan Prasad — Episode 296 of The Seen and the Unseen.
45. ‘Indian languages carry the legacy of caste’ — Chandra Bhan Prasad interviewed by Sheela Bhatt.
46. The Loneliness of the Indian Woman — Episode 259 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shrayana Bhattacharya).
47. Premchand, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie on Amazon.
48. Milan Kundera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Saul Bellow, Henry Miller and Octavio Paz on Amazon..
49. Midnight’s Children — Salman Rushdie.
50. Selected Poems — Dom Moraes.
51. Theatres of Independence — Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker.
52. Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chugtai on Amazon.
53. Toba Tek Singh — Saadat Hasan Manto.
55. How Music Works — David Byrne.
56. Danish Husain’s anecdote about Mahatma Gandhi and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
57. Poems — Louise Glück.
58. Harmony in the Boudoir — Mark Strand.
59. And Then One Day: A Memoir — Naseeruddin Shah.
60. Kohrra — Created by Sudip Sharma and directed by Randeep Jha..
61. If You Are a Creator, This Is Your Time — Amit Varma.
62. Make Me a Canteen for My Soul — Episode 304 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage).
63. The Aaron Levie tweet on the market for cars.
64. ‘A feeble no may mean yes’: Indian court overturns rape conviction — Michael Safi.
65. Grace is Poetry — Danish Husain.
66. Train-Track Figure — Kay Ryan.
67. अंधा कबाड़ी — नून मीम राशिद.
68. The Conjurer of Meaning — Danish Husain.
69. Converse: Contemporary English Poetry by Indians — Edited by Sudeep Sen.
67. Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English: 2022 — Edited by Sukrita Paul Kumar & Vinita Agrawal.
68. मत बुरा उस को कहो गरचे वो अच्छा भी नहीं — कलीम आजिज़.
69. शम्-ए-तन्हा की तरह सुब्ह के तारे जैसे — इरफ़ान सिद्दीक़ी..
70. हुस्न-ए-मह गरचे ब-हंगाम-ए-कमाल अच्छा है — मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब.
71. हिरास — साहिर लुधियानवी.
72. Separation — WS Merwin
73. वो जो इक शर्त थी वहशत की उठा दी गई क्या — इरफ़ान सिद्दीक़ी.
74. तुम्हें डर है. — गोरख पाण्डेय.
75. शायद कि ये ज़माना उन्हें पूजने लगे — अब्दुल वहाब सुख़न.
76. Kya sitam hai waqt ka — Madan Mohan Danish.
77. फ़राज़ अब कोई सौदा कोई जुनूँ भी नहीं — फ़राज़.
78. कौन-सी बात कहाँ , कैसे कही जाती है — वसीम बरेलवी.
79. A Plain Landscape — Danish Husain.
80. इतिहास की कगार — दानिश हुसैन.
81. Jawaab — Kumar Ambuj (translated by Danish Husain).
82. Your Touch — Danish Husain.
83. The Joke — Milan Kundera.
84. Herzog — Saul Bellow.
85. Edward Said, Mary Oliver and Toni Morrison on Amazon.
86. Step Across This Line — Salman Rushdie.
87. Harishankar Parsai, John Kenneth Galbraith and AS Byatt on Amazon.
88. Garam Hawa — MS Sathyu.
89. Shatranj Ke Khilari — Satyajit Ray.
90. The Godfather — Francis Ford Coppolla.
91. Do Ankhen Barah Haath — V Shantaram.
92. Mandi — Shyam Benegal.
93. Party — Govind Nihalani.
94. Khosla Ka Ghosla! — Dibakar Banerjee.
1. Danish Husain on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Wikipedia and IMDb.
2. TheHoshrubaRepertory, Qisse
3. Danish Husain interviewed by Irfan for Jashn-e-Rekhta.
4. The art of storytelling — Danish Husain interviewed by Purva Naresh.
5. ‘Becoming the story when performing it’ — Danish Husain interviewed by Roanna Gonsalves.
6. The 27 Club.
7. Self-Portrait — AK Ramanujan.
8. The Mysterious Arrival of an Unusual Letter — Mark Strand.
9. Collected Poems — Mark Strand.
10. Man’s Search For Meaning — Viktor E Frankl.
11. The Importance of Satya — Episode 241 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Uday Bhatia).
12. Amitava Kumar Finds the Breath of Life — Episode 265 of The Seen and the Unseen.
13. Aadha Gaon — Rahi Masoom Raza.
14. Out of Place: A Memoir — Edward Said.
15. The Incredible Insights of Timur Kuran — Episode 349 of The Seen and the Unseen.
16. Private Truths, Public Lies — Timur Kuran.
17. Varun Grover Is in the House — Episode 292 of The Seen and the Unseen.
18. The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism — Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul).
19. Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India — Akshaya Mukul.
20. Where Have All The Leaders Gone? — Amit Varma.
21. Santosh Desai is Watching You — Episode 356 of The Seen and the Unseen.
22. The Life and Times of Nilanjana Roy — Episode 284 of The Seen and the Unseen.
23. Bombay–London–New York — Amitava Kumar.
24. Fighting Fake News — Episode 133 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pratik Sinha).
25. Sample SSR conspiracy theory: He’s alive!
26. Life is Elsewhere — Milan Kundera.
27. The Four Quadrants of Conformism — Paul Graham.
28. Ignaz Semmelweis on Britannica and Wikipedia.
29. India’s Tryst With Pandemics — Episode 205 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Chinmay Tumbe).
30. Age of Pandemics — Chinmay Tumbe.
31. Kashi Ka Assi — Kashinath Singh.
32. A Meditation on Form — Amit Varma.
33. Scene: 75 — Rahi Masoom Raza (translated by Poonam Saxena).
34. Folktales From India — Edited by AK Ramanujan.
35. The Indianness of Indian Food — Episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vikram Doctor).
36. The Refreshing Audacity of Vinay Singhal — Episode 291 of The Seen and the Unseen.
37. Stage.in.
38. The Age of Average — Alex Murrell.
39. Nothing is Indian! Everything is Indian! — Episode 12 of Everything is Everything.
40. Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India through Its Languages — Peggy Mohan.
41. Understanding India Through Its Languages — Episode 232 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Peggy Mohan).
42. Early Indians — Tony Joseph.
43. Early Indians — Episode 112 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tony Joseph).
44. Caste, Capitalism and Chandra Bhan Prasad — Episode 296 of The Seen and the Unseen.
45. ‘Indian languages carry the legacy of caste’ — Chandra Bhan Prasad interviewed by Sheela Bhatt.
46. The Loneliness of the Indian Woman — Episode 259 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shrayana Bhattacharya).
47. Premchand, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie on Amazon.
48. Milan Kundera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Saul Bellow, Henry Miller and Octavio Paz on Amazon..
49. Midnight’s Children — Salman Rushdie.
50. Selected Poems — Dom Moraes.
51. Theatres of Independence — Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker.
52. Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chugtai on Amazon.
53. Toba Tek Singh — Saadat Hasan Manto.
55. How Music Works — David Byrne.
56. Danish Husain’s anecdote about Mahatma Gandhi and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
57. Poems — Louise Glück.
58. Harmony in the Boudoir — Mark Strand.
59. And Then One Day: A Memoir — Naseeruddin Shah.
60. Kohrra — Created by Sudip Sharma and directed by Randeep Jha..
61. If You Are a Creator, This Is Your Time — Amit Varma.
62. Make Me a Canteen for My Soul — Episode 304 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage).
63. The Aaron Levie tweet on the market for cars.
64. ‘A feeble no may mean yes’: Indian court overturns rape conviction — Michael Safi.
65. Grace is Poetry — Danish Husain.
66. Train-Track Figure — Kay Ryan.
67. अंधा कबाड़ी — नून मीम राशिद.
68. The Conjurer of Meaning — Danish Husain.
69. Converse: Contemporary English Poetry by Indians — Edited by Sudeep Sen.
67. Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English: 2022 — Edited by Sukrita Paul Kumar & Vinita Agrawal.
68. मत बुरा उस को कहो गरचे वो अच्छा भी नहीं — कलीम आजिज़.
69. शम्-ए-तन्हा की तरह सुब्ह के तारे जैसे — इरफ़ान सिद्दीक़ी..
70. हुस्न-ए-मह गरचे ब-हंगाम-ए-कमाल अच्छा है — मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब.
71. हिरास — साहिर लुधियानवी.
72. Separation — WS Merwin
73. वो जो इक शर्त थी वहशत की उठा दी गई क्या — इरफ़ान सिद्दीक़ी.
74. तुम्हें डर है. — गोरख पाण्डेय.
75. शायद कि ये ज़माना उन्हें पूजने लगे — अब्दुल वहाब सुख़न.
76. Kya sitam hai waqt ka — Madan Mohan Danish.
77. फ़राज़ अब कोई सौदा कोई जुनूँ भी नहीं — फ़राज़.
78. कौन-सी बात कहाँ , कैसे कही जाती है — वसीम बरेलवी.
79. A Plain Landscape — Danish Husain.
80. इतिहास की कगार — दानिश हुसैन.
81. Jawaab — Kumar Ambuj (translated by Danish Husain).
82. Your Touch — Danish Husain.
83. The Joke — Milan Kundera.
84. Herzog — Saul Bellow.
85. Edward Said, Mary Oliver and Toni Morrison on Amazon.
86. Step Across This Line — Salman Rushdie.
87. Harishankar Parsai, John Kenneth Galbraith and AS Byatt on Amazon.
88. Garam Hawa — MS Sathyu.
89. Shatranj Ke Khilari — Satyajit Ray.
90. The Godfather — Francis Ford Coppolla.
91. Do Ankhen Barah Haath — V Shantaram.
92. Mandi — Shyam Benegal.
93. Party — Govind Nihalani.
94. Khosla Ka Ghosla! — Dibakar Banerjee.
This episode is sponsored by the Pune Public Policy Festival 2024, which takes place on January 19 & 20, 2024. The theme this year is Trade-offs!
Amit Varma and Ajay Shah have launched a new video podcast. Check out Everything is Everything on YouTube.
Check out Amit’s online course, The Art of Clear Writing.
And subscribe to The India Uncut Newsletter. It’s free!
Episode art: ‘The Actor as a Builder of Worlds’ by Simahina.