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 364: Amitava Kumar Finds His Kashmiri Rain
Writing helps you find yourself, and shape yourself. Nothing illustrates this better than the life & work of our guest today. Amitava Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 364 of The Seen and the Unseen to continue his journaling in the form of this conversation.
Episode 363: Ranjit Hoskote is Dancing in Chains
He’s a poet, art critic, curator, translator, cultural theorist — and someone who helps make sense of our world. Ranjit Hoskote joins Amit Varma in episode 363 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his times and his work.
Episode 362: You’re Ugly and You’re Hairy and You’re Covered in Shit but You’re Mine and I Love You
What is the difference between ch*tiya and dusht? Why are vegetarians evil? Why do Indians do the best bench pressing? Krish Ashok and Naren Shenoy join Amit Varma in episode 362 of The Seen and the Unseen for the most fun conversation ever. Really, ever. We got it certified.
Episode 361: Pritika Hingorani Wants to Fix Our Cities
Cities are that miraculous technology that bring people together to make us all better, richer, happier. But bad planning, or even too much planning, can turn them into hellholes. Pritika Hingorani joins Amit Varma in episode 361 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her insights on how we should think about cities, how governments do policy, and what economics can bring to urban planning.
Episode 360: Rahul Matthan Seeks the Protocol
The world is changing fast. Technology can be used to empower us — and also to hack our brains & our lives. What laws do we need to protect our freedoms? Rahul Matthan joins Amit Varma in episode 360 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his work on privacy — and on a new, subtle approach towards data governance.
Episode 359: Danish Husain and the Multiverse of Culture
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.
Episode 358: The Semiconductor Wars
Semiconductors power much of modern technology — and thus, our lives and our politics. Pranay Kotasthane and Abhiram Manchi join Amit Varma in episode 358 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on how so much geopolitics today centres around chips — and why its such a big deal.
Episode 357: Seema Sirohi and the View From Washington
She’s covered US-India relations as a foreign correspondent for more than 30 years — and now she’s told that momentous story in a book. Seema Sirohi joins Amit Varma in episode 357 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life as a journalist — and the love-hate relationship between countries that she saw at close quarters.
Episode 356: Santosh Desai is Watching You
What is this world we live in, and how did we get here? One of the finest thinkers on this subject is in the house. Santosh Desai joins Amit Varma in episode 356 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss Indian society and this changing world.
Episode 355: The Life and Times of KP Krishnan
India has travelled a long way in the last few decades — and one man had an inside view of the whole process, shaping policy and trying to fix the nation. KP Krishnan joins Amit Varma in episode 355 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his extraordinary life and learnings.
Episode 354: Figuring Out Motherhood
Motherhood is a terrifying condition that changes a woman’s life forever. Forget coping with it — how do you even understand it? Priya Mathews and Gunjan Grover Gupta join Amit Varma in episode 354 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss all they have learnt from being mothers, processing the experience, and their cult podcast, The Mommy Mix Tape.
Episode 353: Apar Gupta Fights the Good Fight
How does technology affect our rights? Do we need protection from the state and Big Tech? Apar Gupta joins Amit Varma in episode 353 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his battle for digital rights in India.
Episode 352: The Bankable Wisdom of Harsh Vardhan
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.
Episode 351: Pallavi Aiyar Has Seen the World
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.
Episode 350: Sudhir Sarnobat Works to Understand the World
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.
Episode 349: The Incredible Insights of Timur Kuran
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.
Episode 348: Devangshu Datta Traded His Corduroy Pants
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.
Episode 347: India’s Massive Pensions Crisis
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.
Episode 346: The Seema Goswami Files
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.
Episode 345: Economic Learnings of India for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Bihar
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
Episode 344: Manisha Pande Watches the News
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.
Episode 343: We Are All Amits From Africa
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!
Episode 342: Vitalik Buterin Fights the Dragon-Tyrant
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.
Episode 341: The Steady Determination of Yamini Aiyar
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.
Episode 340: Aakash Singh Rathore, the Ironman Philosopher
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.
Episode 339: The Poetic Feminism of Paromita Vohra
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.
Episode 338: The Nuances of Intensive Care
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.
Episode 337: Luke Burgis Sees the Deer at His Window
To live the examined life, we have to first 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.
Episode 336: Shruti Rajagopalan Dives Into Delimitation
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.
Episode 335: A Deep Dive Into Ukraine vs Russia
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.
Episode 334: Jayaprakash Narayan Wants to Mend Our Democracy
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.
Episode 333: Subhashish Bhadra on Our Dysfunctional State
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.
Episode 332: The Life and Times of Uma Chakravarti
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.
Episode 331: Gurwinder Bhogal Examines Human Nature
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.
Episode 330: Eric Weinstein Won’t Toe the Line
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.
Episode 329: Murali Neelakantan Looks at the World
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.
Episode 328: Kiran Ahluwalia Finds Our Aam Zameen
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.
Episode 327: The Many Shades of George Fernandes
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.
Episode 326: Pushpesh Pant Feasts on the Buffet of Life
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.
Episode 325: Shaili Chopra and the Sisterhood
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.