The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

Mahatma Gandhi's ideas shaped modern India, and were as fiercely contested in his time as they are today. Ramachandra Guha joins Amit Varma in episode 454 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss Gandhi and his arguments. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ramachandra Guha on Amazon, Twitter and his own website. 2. Arguments With Gandhi -- Ramachandra Guha. 3. Ram and Friends -- Episode 440 of The Seen and the Unseen. 4. Ram Guha Writes a Letter to a Friend — Episode 371 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Ram Guha Reflects on His Life — Episode 266 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. A Cricket Tragic Celebrates the Game — Episode 201 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 7. Taking Stock of Our Republic — Episode 157 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 8. Understanding Gandhi. Part 1: Mohandas — Episode 104 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 9. Understanding Gandhi. Part 2: Mahatma — Episode 105 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 10. Gandhi Before India --…

Indian politics is deeply complicated, and existing frames don't do it justice. Srikrishna Ayyangar joins Amit Varma in episode 453 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the deep dives he has made in the field, including with innovative methods like set theory. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Srikrishna Ayyangar on LinkedIn, Amazon and NLSIU. 2. A Logic of Populism: India and Its States -- Srikrishna Ayyangar. 3. Administrative Analysis -- Christopher Hood. 4. The Burden of Democracy -- Pratap Bhanu Mehta. 5. The Republic of Apathy (2007) -- Amit Varma. 6. Manish Sabharwal is a Good Ancestor -- Episode 451 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. 300 Ramayanas — AK Ramanujan. 8. Can Economics Become More Reflexive? — Vijayendra Rao. 9. Biju Rao Won't Bow to Conventional Wisdom — Episode 392 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Shaping the Political Arena -- Ruth Berins Collier and David Collier. 11. A Certain Idea of Europe -- Craig Parsons. 12. Building State Capability: Evidence,…

The city and nature do not need to be at odds with each other; and dreamers can be doers. Harini Nagendra joins Amit Varma in episode 452 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her work in ecology, urban sustainability, detective fiction and the art of managing multitudes. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Harini Nagendra at LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Google Scholar, Amazon, Substack, Azim Premji University and her own website. 2. Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities -- Harini Nagendra & Seema Mundoli. 3. Shades of Blue: Connecting the Drops in India's Cities -- Harini Nagendra & Seema Mundoli. 4. Nature in the City -- Harini Nagendra. 5. The Bangalore Detectives Club -- Harini Nagendra. 6. Insights on linking forests, trees, and people from the air, on the ground, and in the laboratory -- Elinor Ostrom & Harini Nagendra. 7. Polycentric governance of multifunctional forested landscapes -- Harini Nagendra & Elinor Ostrom. 8. Tree diversity, distribution, history…

There should be more to our lives than just doing well for ourselves. Manish Sabharwal joins Amit Varma in episode 451 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey from being a successful entrepreneur to trying to change India. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Manish Sabharwal at LinkedIn and Indian Express. 2. TeamLease. 3. Kashmir Under 370: A Personal History -- Mahendra Sabharwal with Manish Sabharwal. 4. Made in India: The Story of Desh Bandhu Gupta, Lupin and Indian Pharma -- Manish Sabharwal and Sundeep Khanna. 5. A Masterclass on Regulation (and Deregulation) -- Episode 442 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan). 6. The Heckman Equation — a website based on James Heckman's work. 7. The Agony And The Ecstasy -- Irving Stone. 8. Lust For Life -- Irving Stone. 9. Exit, Voice, and Loyalty -- Albert O Hirschman. 10. The Passions and the Interests -- Albert O Hirschman. 11. Jailed for Doing Business: The 26,134 Imprisonment Clauses in India's Business…

On Independence Day week, why not look back at some highlights and lowlights of the last 79 years? Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley join Amit Varma in episode 450 of The Seen and the Unseen, and each of them presents his list. You will find hope and despair, celebration and lament, multitudes. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon and the Takshashila Institution. 2. Anticipating the Unintended — Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley's newsletter. 3. Puliyabaazi — Pranay Kotasthane's podcast (with Saurabh Chandra & Khyati Pathak). 4. The Long Road From Neeyat to Neeti — Episode 313 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pranay Kotasthane & Raghu S Jaitley). 5. Caste and the Census -- Episode 417 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pranay Kotasthane & Raghu S Jaitley). 6. Pranay Kotasthane Talks Public Policy — Episode 233 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. Raghu Sanjaylal Jaitley's Father's Scooter — Episode 214 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8.…

The 1980s were box office, and General K Sundarji was Forrest Gump, everywhere all at once. Probal DasGupta joins Amit Varma in episode 449 to tell the story of a fascinating man and the turbulent times he lived in. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Probal DasGupta on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Amazon. 2. General Brasstacks: The Sundarji Story -- Probal Dasgupta. 3. Watershed 1967: India's Forgotten Victory Over China — Probal DasGupta. 4. Camouflaged: Forgotten Stories from Battlefields — Probal DasGupta. 5. Of Some Consequence: A Soldier Remembers -- K Sundarji. 6. Blind Men of Hindoostan -- K Sundarji. 7. Probal DasGupta Goes to the Himalayas With Books in His Bag -- Episode 412 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. Shooting Straight: A Military Biography of Lt Gen. Rostum K Nanavatty -- Arjun Subramaniam. 9. Fair & Square interview of SK Sinha about Operation Bluestar. 10. The Light Has Gone Out -- Jawaharlal Nehru's speech after Mahatma Gandhi died. 11. The Geopolitics…

She is not an ivory tower academic but an economist whose deep understanding of society comes from lived experience and endless curiosity. Vidya Mahambare joins Amit Varma in episode 448 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life and her learnings. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Vidya Mahambare on Google Scholar, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Great Lakes, Mint and her own website. 2. What Shapes Us? -- Vidya Mahambare's podcast. 3. Closing the income gap -- Vidya Mahambare's column on the five Es. 4. Family structure, education and women's employment in rural India -- Sowmya Dhanaraj and Vidya Mahambare. 5. Male backlash and female guilt: women's employment and intimate partner violence in urban India -- Sowmya Dhanaraj and Vidya Mahambare. 6. Women's challenging commutes in southern India: A case of the metropolitan region of Chennai -- Vidya Mahambare and Sowmya Dhanaraj. 7. Analysing the sentiment-based variation in finance ministers' communication -- Vidya…

Eight decades after independence, India still isn't free. Rahul Ahluwalia joins Amit Varma in episode 447 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why economic growth has such a positive humanitarian impact -- and freedom lies at its heart. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Rahul Ahluwalia on Twitter, LinkedIn and FED. 2. Foundation for Economic Development. 3. Growth is Good -- Rahul Ahluwalia's podcast at FED. 4. Deepak VS and the Man Behind His Face — Episode 373 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Swaminathan Aiyar's columns at ToI and his own website. 6. Gurcharan Das's columns at ToI and his own website. 7. India Unbound — Gurcharan Das. 8. The Life and Times of Gurcharan Das — Episode 425 of The Seen and the Unseen. 9. The Importance of the 1991 Reforms — Episode 237 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan and Ajay Shah). 10. The Life and Times of Montek Singh Ahluwalia — Episode 285 of The Seen and the Unseen. 11. The Forgotten Greatness of PV Narasimha Rao —…

After a successful career as a banker, he decided to devote himself to making his country better off. Luis Miranda joins Amit Varma in episode 446 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss banking, India, education, healthcare, parenthood and the joy of working. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Luis Miranda on LinkedIn, Twitter, ISPP, CCS, Forbes and his own website. 2. The Indian School of Public Policy. 3. Centre for Universal Health Assurance. 4. HDFC Bank 2.0 -- Tamal Bandyopadhyay. 5. Gautam John is Figuring it Out — Episode 437 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. Testaments Betrayed — Milan Kundera. 7. The Rooted Cosmopolitanism of Sugata Srinivasaraju — Episode 277 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. The Case For India -- Will Durant. 9. The Life and Times of Gurcharan Das — Episode 425 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Where Has All the Education Gone? — Lant Pritchett. 11. Lant Pritchett Is on Team Prosperity — Episode 379 of The Seen and the Unseen. 12. Fixing Indian Education —…

She's one of the best writers on science today, combining optimism about progress with a realist understanding of the messiness of our world. Saloni Dattani joins Amit Varma in episode 445 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss science, medicine, data, academia and how to make the world a better place. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Saloni Dattani at Google Scholar, Twitter, LinkedIn, Our World in Data and Works in Progress. 2. Scientific Discovery -- Saloni Dattani's newsletter. 3. Hard Drugs -- Saloni Dattani's podcast. 4. Saloni's guide to data visualization -- Saloni Dattani. 5. Four charts to understand causes of death across the lifespan -- Saloni Dattani. 6. What I've learnt about writing -- Saloni Dattani. 7. In praise of the Covid superforecasters -- Saloni Dattani. 8. The decline in cancer mortality is about much more than smoking -- Saloni Dattani. 9. Death rates from cardiovascular disease have fallen dramatically — what were the breakthroughs behind this? --…

He is best known for writing The Family Man and Farzi, but his journey to being a storyteller was far from smooth. Suman Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 444 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the highs and lows of his life, as well as the craft of writing, directing and telling stories. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Suman Kumar on IMDb, Instagram, LinkedIn and his own website. 2. The Family Man -- Season 1 :: Season 2 :: Season 3. 3. Guns and Gulaabs -- Season 1. 4. Farzi -- Season 1. 5. Raghu Thatha -- written and directed by Suman Kumar. 6. Ranga Half-Pants -- Suman Kumar. 7. Scientific Advertising -- Claude Hopkins. 8. The Ghost and the Darkness -- Stephen Hopkins. 9. You've Got Mail -- Nora Ephron. 10. Angrezi Medium -- Homi Adajania. (CHECK) 11. The return of small-town creators on Instagram -- Shephali Bhatt. 12. lifeofpuja on Instagram. 13. Gangs of Wasseypur -- Anurag Kashyap. 14. On Writing -- Stephen King. 15. The Refreshing Audacity of Vinay Singhal —…

An Indian lawyer in 2000 could not have recognised the legal ecosystem of today. One firm took India marching forward into a new world. Akshay Jaitly joins Amit Varma in episode 443 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe the rise of the firm he founded, Trilegal -- and the lessons he learnt during that journey. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Akshay Jaitly on Twitter, Linkedin and Nicheless. 2. Trilegal: The Making of a Modern Indian Law Firm -- Akshay Jaitly. 3. TrustBridge. 4. Climate Change and Our Power Sector — Episode 278 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshay Jaitley and Ajay Shah). 5. Blood on the Tracks -- Bob Dylan. 6. The Art of Reading -- Episode 120 of Everything is Everything. 7. Scrivener. 8. The Creative Act -- Rick Rubin. 9. Testaments Betrayed — Milan Kundera. 10. Amicus Curiae: Khaitan & Co is 100 -- Aditi Roy Ghatak. 11. The Broken Script — Swapna Liddle. 12. Swapna Liddle and the Many Shades of Delhi — Episode 367 of The Seen and the Unseen. 13. The…

We keep using the terms 'regulation' and 'deregulation' -- and now it's time for a primer. Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 442 of The Seen and the Unseen go discuss first principles AND get into the weeds. What is regulation? When do we need it? When do we not? What's India's journey been like? And finally, why is deregulation both important and difficult? (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, which is run by Shruti. 3. The 1991 Project. 4. Shruti Rajagopalan Remembers the Angle of the Light -- Episode 410 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. The Importance of the 1991 Reforms — Episode 237 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan and Ajay Shah). 6. Shruti Rajagopalan Dives Into Delimitation -- Episode 336 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. All past episodes of The Seen and the Unseen w Shruti Rajagopalan, in reverse chronological order:…

He's one of India's great artists, and a Renaissance man you cannot put inside a box. Ravikumar Kashi joins Amit Varma in episode 441 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about life and art. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ravikumar Kashi on Instagram, LinkedIn and his own website. 2. Flexing Muscles -- Ravikumar Kashi. 3. Engaging With Visuals -- Ravikumar Kashi's 15-part lecture series. 4. Handmade Paper Making Process (English parts one and two; Kannada parts one and two)-- Ravikumar Kashi. 5. 12 Layers of Hanji -- Ravikumar Kashi. 6. Paper Trails: Reflections on Practice -- Ravikumar Kashi. 7. We don't end at our edges -- Exhibition by Ravikumar Kashi. 8. Understanding India Through Its Languages — Episode 232 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Peggy Mohan). 9. Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India through Its Languages — Peggy Mohan. 10. Francisco Goya's Black Paintings. 11. The Light in Winter — Episode 97 of Everything is Everything, where Amit talks about…

We are shaped by the people we let into our lives -- and sometimes only realise this in hindsight. Ramachandra Guha joins Amit Varma in episode 440 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about some of the friends who changed his life. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ramachandra Guha on Amazon, Twitter and his own website. 2. Ram Guha Writes a Letter to a Friend -- Episode 371 of The Seen and the Unseen. 3. Ram Guha Reflects on His Life — Episode 266 of The Seen and the Unseen. 4. A Cricket Tragic Celebrates the Game — Episode 201 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 5. Taking Stock of Our Republic — Episode 157 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 6. Understanding Gandhi. Part 1: Mohandas — Episode 104 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 7. Understanding Gandhi. Part 2: Mahatma — Episode 105 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha). 8. The Last Liberal and Other Essays -- Ramachandra Guha's collection, which includes his essay on Dharma Kumar. 9. Patriots and…

She is a thinker and doer who takes on difficult problems, whether it's maternal care in India or a dangerous ideological cult. Janhavi Nilekani joins Amit Varma in episode 439 of The Seen and the Unseen to chat about her work in healthcare -- and her gender-critical thinking. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Janhavi Nilekani on Instagram, Twitter, Substack and Aastrika. 2. Aastrika Foundation. 3. Aastrika Midwifery Centre. 4. Janhavi Nilekani's Substack. 5. Janhavi Nilekani on Maternal Healthcare and Evidence-Based Decision-Making -- The Ideas of India podcast by Shruti Rajagopalan. 6. Understanding Indian Healthcare — Episode 225 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Karthik Muralidharan). 7. Essays at the Intersection of Environmental and Development Economics -- Janhavi Nilekani. 8. Rohini Nilekani Pays It Forward — Episode 317 of The Seen and the Unseen. 9. Natasha Badhwar Lives the Examined Life — Episode 301 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Trans: When Ideology Meets…

What can one man do for a city in a lifetime of work? A lot! V Ravichandar joins Amit Varma in episode 438 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his times and what he has learnt as a civic evangelist for Bangalore. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. V Ravichandar on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Feedback Consulting. 2. Reforming Urban Governance — Episode 48 of The Seen and the Unseen (w V Ravichandar). 3. The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act. 4. BLR Hubba. 5. Bangalore International Centre. 6. Bangalore Literature Festival. 7. Bangalore Agenda Task Force. 8. Gautam John is Figuring it Out -- Episode 437 of The Seen and the Unseen. 9. Inside the Hearts of Men and Women — Episode 118 of Everything is Everything. 10. Understanding Human Sexuality — Episode 126 of Everything is Everything. 11. The Life and Times of Gurcharan Das — Episode 425 of The Seen and the Unseen. 12. Participatory Democracy — Episode 160 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ashwin Mahesh). 13.…

He studied law, found success as an entrepreneur, and has since spent almost two decades in the social sector trying to make the world a better place. Gautam John joins Amit Varma in episode 437 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his reflections on society, technology, gender, friendships, fatherhood, the crisis of masculinity and his journey towards figuring out the world and himself. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Gautam John on LinkedIn, Twitter, IDR, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Substack. 2. From Strength to Strength — Arthur Brooks. 3. An Ode to Meanderness -- Episode 434 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan and Pranay Kotasthane). 4. The Final Episode -- Episode 128 of Everything is Everything. 5. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Mohit Satyanand: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 6. The Surface Area of Serendipity -- Episode 39 of Everything is Everything. 7. Hikikomori. 8. Laayak. 9. The Loneliness of the Indian Man — Episode 303 of The Seen and the…

The world is complex, India contains multitudes, and we need more numbers, better numbers, to make sense of it all. Rukmini S joins Amit Varma in episode 436 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about Data For India -- and to share some surprising insights. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Rukmini S on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. 2. Data For India. 3. Whole Numbers And Half Truths — Rukmini S. 4. The Importance of Data Journalism — Episode 196 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rukmini S). 5. Rukmini Sees India's Multitudes — Episode 261 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rukmini S). 6. India's Demographic Dilemmas: Part 1. Part 2. Part 3 -- Rukmini S. 7. Anaemia in India -- Rukmini S. 8. How one village swung India's workforce numbers in 2022-23 -- Pramit Bhattacharya and Nandlal Mishra. 9. The rise of 'custom tailoring' -- Nileena Suresh. 10. Everything that turned out well in my life followed the same design process — Henrik Karlsson. 11. Homebound -- Neeraj Ghaywan. 12.…

China looms large in our modern world -- and yes, is misunderstood, or not understood at all. Manoj Kewalramani joins Amit Varma in episode 435 of The Seen and the Unseen to put together a primer on China, from ancient times through all the kingdoms through Mao and Deng to Xi and this present moment. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Manoj Kewalramani on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Scholar, Amazon, Takshashila, Substack and his own website. 2. The Takshashila Institution. 3. The Great Power Show on Spotify, Apple and Substack. 4. Tracking People's Daily -- Manoj Kewalramani's Substack Newsletter. 5. Eye on China -- Anushka Saxena's Substack newsletter (formerly written by Manoj). 6. China in the Changing Geo-economic Landscape -- A Takshashila course on China that begins later this month. 7. The China Dude Is in the House -- Episode 231 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manoj Kewalramani). 8. What Does China Want? — Episode 143 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manoj Kewalramani).…

Enough serious talk about economics and geopolitics. As the year draws to an end, it's time to sit and chill with friends -- and let the mind meander. Shruti Rajagopalan and Pranay Kotasthane join Amit Varma in episode 434 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about friendship, horses, second acts -- and more! (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. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon, Puliyabaazi and the Takshashila Institution. 3. Emergent Ventures India. 4. The Takshashila Institution. 5. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen w Shruti Rajagopalan: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. 6. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen w Pranay Kotasthane: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. 7. Shruti Rajagopalan Remembers the Angle of the Light -- Episode 410 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. Pranay Kotasthane Talks Public Policy —…

India's policy ecosystem was once a desolate landscape, stuck in bad ideas of the past. One institution shook it all up. Nitin Pai and Pranay Kotasthane join Amit Varma in episode 433 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe their journey building the Takshashila Institution. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Nitin Pai on Twitter, LinkedIn, his own website and the Takshashila Institution. 2. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon and the Takshashila Institution. 3. The Takshashila Institution. 4. Takshashila's courses and Open Takshashila. 5. The Liberal Nationalism of Nitin Pai — Episode 318 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. Pranay Kotasthane Talks Public Policy — Episode 233 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Nitin Pai: 1, 2, 3. 8. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen w Pranay Kotasthane: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. 9. The archives of The Acorn, Nitin Pai's blog. 10. The Life and Times of Gurcharan Das --…

He's been working in AI since the late 1970s, and started a pioneering machine learning hedge fund in the 1990s. Now he's a professor, a podcaster, a Substacker, a yoda -- and has just written a cracking book on the subject. Vasant Dhar joins Amit Varma in episode 432 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the life and times of AI through the life and times of Vasant Dhar. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Vasant Dhar on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Scholar and NYU Stern. 2. Thinking With Machines: The Brave New World of AI -- Vasant Dhar. 3. Brave New World -- Vasant Dhar's podcast. 4. Vasant Dhar's Brave New World on Substack. 5. Brave New World — Episode 203 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vasant Dhar). 6. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley. 7. Death of a Salesman -- Arthur Miller. 8. Aldous Huxley interviewed by Mike Wallace. 9. Anil Seth On The Science of Consciousness – Episode 94 of Brave New World. 10. How the Mind Works -- Steven Pinker. 11. Anthony Zador on How our…

Our Hindi Heartland has more people than the USA and Western Europe combined -- and is arguably more diverse. Ghazala Wahab joins Amit Varma in episode 431 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her research into those states -- and much else, including being an outspoken Muslim woman in India, and the future of warfare. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ghazala Wahab on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, the Wire and Force. 2. The Hindi Heartland -- Ghazala Wahab. 3. Born a Muslim: Some Truths About Islam in India — Ghazala Wahab. 4. Dragon On Our Doorstep — Pravin Sawhney and Ghazala Wahab. 5. The Peacemakers -- Edited by Ghazala Wahab. 6. Force — The magazine edited by Ghazala Wahab. 7. Being Muslim in India — Episode 216 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ghazala Wahab). 8. The Future of War -- Episode 112 of Everything is Everything. 9. A Deep Dive Into the Indian Military -- Episode 31 of Everything is Everything. 10. A Deep Dive Into Ukraine vs Russia —…

When it comes to Hindustani music, he is both a doer and a thinker. A great tabla player, he has written books about the history and theory of music. Aneesh Pradhan joins Amit Varma in episode 430 of The Seen and the Unseen to chat about his life, his music and this world we inhabit. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Aneesh Pradhan on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Scroll, Amazon, Spotify and his own website. 2. Chasing the Raag Dream: A Look into the World of Hindustani Music -- Aneesh Pradhan. 3. Hindustani Music in Colonial Bombay -- Aneesh Pradhan. 4. Tabla: A Performer's Perspective -- Aneesh Pradhan. 5. The Life and Music of Shubha Mudgal -- Episode 426 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. The Light in Winter -- Episode 97 of Everything is Everything. 7. From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life -- Arthur Brooks. 8. The Heckman Equation — a website based on James Heckman's work. 9. The Instagram reel about The…

He wrote the definitive history of Indian wrestling. His longform reportage has taken him into strange territories. He embedded himself with the Delhi police and has now come out with his first crime novel. Rudraneil Sengupta joins Amit Varma in episode 429 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about he throws himself into both his life and his work. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Rudraneil Sengupta on Instagram, Twitter, Mint and Amazon. 2. The Beast Within -- Rudraneil Sengupta. 3. Enter the Dangal -- Rudraneil Sengupta. 4. The Girl From Haryana -- Amit Varma's feature story on Sakshi Malik (2016). 5. Aadha Gaon — Rahi Masoom Raza. 6. Amitava Kumar Finds the Breath of Life — Episode 265 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. From Cairo to Delhi With Max Rodenbeck — Episode 281 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. Kind of Blue -- Miles Davis. 9. Wall-E -- Andrew Stanton. 10. The Complete Adventures of Feluda (Volume 1) (Volume 2) -- Satyajit Ray. 11. The Adventures Of Kakababu -- Sunil…

Writing biographies is solitary and difficult -- even when the subject is way more interesting than anything you could make up. Narayani Basu joins Amit Varma in episode 428 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss writing, friendship, hustling, ageing, intentionality and the subject of her latest book, the impossible KM Panikkar. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Narayani Basu on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Amazon. 2. A Man For All Seasons: The Life Of KM Panikkar -- Narayani Basu. 3. VP Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India -- Narayani Basu. 4. Allegiance: Azaadi and the End of Empire -- Narayani Basu. 5. India's Greatest Civil Servant — Episode 167 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Narayani Basu). 6. Kavitha Rao Chases Chatto and Roy -- Episode 416 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. When Harry Met Sally -- Rob Reiner. 8. Can men and women be just friends? — The Economist. 9. Malini Goyal is the Curious One — Ep 377 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Unboxing Bengaluru —…

Cricket isn't just what happens across 22 yards, and great cricket writers always go beyond the boundary. Vijay Lokapally joins Amit Varma in episode 427 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the joys and heartbreaks of a lifetime of writing about cricket -- and much else. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Vijay Lokapally on Amazon, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, The Hindu and Sportstar. 2. Pen, Paper and Podcast -- Vijay Lokapally's podcast. 3. The Virender Sehwag Story -- Vijay Lokapally. 4. The Hitman: The Rohit Sharma Story -- Vijay Lokapally. 5. Driven: The Virat Kohli Story -- Vijay Lokapally. 6. Speed Merchants: The Story of Indian Pace Bowling 1886 to 2019 -- Gulu Ezekiel and Vijay Lokapally. 7. Net Flicks: India's Smashing Affair with the Shuttle -- Akshay Lokapally and Vijay Lokapally. 8. Housefull:The Golden Years Of Hindi Cinema -- Edited by Ziya Us Salam, with writing by Vijay Lokapally. 9. Vijay Lokapally's episodes on 81 All Out: 1, 2. 10. India vs…

She's straddled the worlds of Hindustani classical and popular music, and is a legend in both spaces. Shubha Mudgal joins Amit Varma in episode 426 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life, her music and this changing world. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shubha Mudgal on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter, Wikipedia and her own website. 2. Looking for Miss Sargam: Stories of Music and Misadventure -- Shubha Mudgal. 3. Kavitha Rao and Our Lady Doctors — Episode 235 of The Seen and the Unseen. 4. Lady Doctors : The Untold Stories Of India's First Women In Medicine — Kavitha Rao. 5. The Heckman Equation — a website based on James Heckman's work. 6. The Disciple — Chaitanya Tamhane. 7. A Chess Story (previously published as The Royal Game) — Stefan Zweig. 8. The Light in Winter -- Episode 97 of Everything is Everything. 9. The Köln Concert (YouTube, Spotify) -- Keith Jarrett. 10. Danish Husain and the Multiverse of Culture — Episode 359 of The Seen and the Unseen. 11.…

He reached the top of the corporate world -- and then gave it up to become a writer, with books that probed our deepest questions, and influenced millions of people. Gurcharan Das joins Amit Varma in episode 425 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. Gurcharan Das on Amazon, Wikipedia, Twitter, LinkedIn, Times of India and his own website. 2. Another Sort of Freedom -- Gurcharan Das. 3. India Unbound -- Gurcharan Das. 4. The Difficulty of Being Good -- Gurcharan Das. 5. Kama: The Riddle of Desire -- Gurcharan Das. 6. Three Plays: Larins Sahib, Mira, 9 Jakhoo Hill -- Gurcharan Das. 7. A Fine Family -- Gurcharan Das. 8. The Elephant Paradigm -- Gurcharan Das. 9. India Grows At Night -- Gurcharan Das. 10. The Dilemma of an Indian Liberal -- Gurcharan Das. 11. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 12. Rashomon -- Akira Kurosawa. 13. Toba Tek Singh -- Sadat Hasan Manto. 14. Imagined Communities -- Benedict Anderson. 15. A…

Trained as a journalist, but driven by a desire to make a difference, she spent over a decade working with sex workers in Delhi to understand and improve their lives. Gitanjali Babbar joins Amit Varma in episode 424 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her learnings about GB Road -- and our strange and twisted society. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Gitanjali Babbar on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. 2. Kat Katha (also on Facebook and Instagram.) 3. Donate to Kat Katha. (Alternate link). 4. Select talks by and interviews of Gitanjali Babbar: 1, 2, 3, 4. 5. The Fat Girl -- Andre Dubus. 6. Aashayein -- song from Iqbal. 7. Talks on the Gita -- Vinobha Bhave. 8. The Forty Rules of Love -- Elif Shafak. 9. Tu Jhoom -- Naseebo Lal and Abida Parveen. 10. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar -- Mansoor Khan. 11. Saathiya -- Shaad Ali. 12. Anurag Garg on Amazon. Amit Varma and Ajay Shah have launched a new course called Life Lessons, which aims to be a launchpad towards learning essential…

He founded the iconic organisation Yuva 50 years ago when he was in his early 20s, pioneered social work in India, and went on to drive change for the UN and Amnesty. Minar Pimple joins Amit Varma in episode 423 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his learnings and the ceaseless tumult in our society. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Minar Pimple at Yuva and Instagram. 2. An ISDM case study of Yuva. 3. Sudhir Sarnobat Works to Understand the World — Episode 350 of The Seen and the Unseen. 4. India's MSME Landscape — Some Useful Frameworks -- Episode 419 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Sudhir Sarnobat and Narendra Shenoy). 5. The Atheism Episode -- Episode 83 of Everything is Everything. 6. Ayn Rand, Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong and Friedrich Engels. 7. The Communist Manifesto -- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. 8. The Annihilation of Caste -- BR Ambedkar. 9. Paulo Freire and Saul Alinsky. 10. Towards a Philosophy of Social Work in India -- Sugata…

Cricket is the most unusual of games with the most unusual of histories -- which can reveal so much about our society and our times. Tim Wigmore joins Amit Varma in episode 422 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the history of Test cricket -- and how the game is changing today. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Tim Wigmore on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon, Cricinfo and the Daily Telegraph. 2. Test Cricket: A History -- Tim Wigmore. 3. Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution -- Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde. 4. Crickonomics: The Anatomy of Modern Cricket -- Stefan Szymansk and Tim Wigmore. 5. White Hot: The Inside Story of England Cricket's Double World Champions -- Tim Wigmore and Matt Roller. 6. The Best: How Elite Athletes Are Made -- Mark Williams and Tim Wigmore. 7. The Wisden Book of Test Cricket (1877-1977) — Compiled & edited by Bill Frindall. 8. Beyond A Boundary -- CLR James. 9. Pundits from Pakistan -- Rahul Bhattacharya. 10. England: The Biography: The Story of…

Too much of our history is looked at through either a colonial lens or a patriarchal one. Ira Mukhoty joins Amit Varma in episode 421 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her gaze on India's history, and all that it has taught her. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ira Mukhoty on Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads and Amazon. 2. Women in Indian History -- Episode 155 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ira Mukhoty). 3. The Lion and The Lily: The Rise and Fall of Awadh -- Ira Mukhoty. 4. Akbar: The Great Mughal -- Ira Mukhoty. 5. Song of Draupadi -- Ira Mukhoty. 6. Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire -- Ira Mukhoty. 7. Heroines: Powerful Indian Women of Myth and History -- Ira Mukhoty. 8. Jahangir the Curious — Episode 147 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Parvati Sharma). 9. The Many Cities of Delhi — Episode 172 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rana Safvi). 10. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Manu Pillai: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 11. Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's…

Circumstance made him a legend of the quizzing world, but Siddhartha Basu is a man of many parts. He joins Amit Varma in episode 420 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about life, India, the art of asking questions and the answers he has found. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Siddhartha Basu on Wikipedia, Twitter, Instagram and IMDb. 2. Tree of Knowledge, DigiTok. 3. Quizzitok on YouTube. 4. Middlemarch -- George Eliot. 5. The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism — Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul). 6. Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India — Akshaya Mukul. 7. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen featuring Ramachandra Guha: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 9. The Life and Times of KP Krishnan — Episode 355 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. The Life and Times of Vir Sanghvi — Episode 236 of The Seen and the Unseen. 11. Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity — Manu Pillai. 12. The Forces That Shaped Hinduism — Episode 405 of The Seen and…

Firms are the means of economic progress. India's micro, small and medium enterprises have been hobbled for decades, and flounder even today. Sudhir Sarnobat and Narendra Shenoy join Amit Varma in episode 419 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss this landscape -- and Sudhir's brilliant new venture that aims to tackle this. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Sudhir Sarnobat on Twitter and LinkedIn. 2. Naren Shenoy on Twitter, Instagram and Blogspot. 3. How Frameworks — Sudhir Sarnobat's new venture. 4. Narendra Shenoy and Mr Narendra Shenoy — Episode 250 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Sudhir Sarnobat Works to Understand the World -- Episode 350 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. We Are All Amits From Africa — Episode 343 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Krish Ashok and Naren Shenoy). 7. You're Ugly and You're Hairy and You're Covered in Shit but You're Mine and I Love You -- Episode 362 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Krish Ashok and Naren Shenoy). 8. The Teaching Learning…

Why did the attacks in Pahalgam happen? What took place in the skirmishes after that? What have we learnt about geopolitics and our military preparedness? Pranay Kotasthane and Aditya Ramanathan join Amit Varma in episode 418 of The Seen and the Unseen to try to clear some of the fog of war. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon and the Takshashila Institution. 2. Aditya Ramanathan on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and the Takshashila Institution. 3. Puliyabaazi — Pranay Kotasthane's podcast (with Saurabh Chandra & Khyati Pathak). 4. Anticipating the Unintended — Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu Sanjaylal Jaitley's newsletter. 5. All Things Policy -- The Takshashila Institution's podcast. 6. Pranay Kotasthane Talks Public Policy — Episode 233 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. The India-Pakistan Conflict -- Episode 111 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Srinath Raghavan). 8. Democracy in Pakistan -- Episode 79 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pranay…

Data is apolitical and always useful, right? Then why is the caste census so controversial? Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley join Amit Varma in episode 417 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss its history, context and implications. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon and the Takshashila Institution. 2. Anticipating the Unintended — Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu Sanjaylal Jaitley's newsletter. 3. Missing In Action: Why You Should Care About Public Policy — Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley. 4. Puliyabaazi — Pranay Kotasthane's podcast (with Saurabh Chandra & Khyati Pathak). 5. The Long Road From Neeyat to Neeti — Episode 313 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pranay Kotasthane & Raghu S Jaitley). 6. Pranay Kotasthane Talks Public Policy — Episode 233 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. Raghu Sanjaylal Jaitley's Father's Scooter — Episode 214 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. All episodes of The Seen and the Unseen w Pranay Kotasthane:…

The most astonishing men lie in the far, forgotten corners of history. Kavitha Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 416 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on the life and times of two magnificent failures, Chatto and Roy. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Kavitha Rao on Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and her own website. 2. Spies, Lies and Allies: The Extraordinary Lives of Chatto and Roy -- Kavitha Rao. 3. Lady Doctors : The Untold Stories Of India's First Women In Medicine -- Kavitha Rao. 4. Kavitha Rao and Our Lady Doctors -- Episode 235 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Chatto: The Life and Times of an Anti-Imperialist in Europe -- Nirode K Barooah. 6. In Freedom's Quest : A Study of the Life and Works of MN Roy -- Sibnarayan Ray. 7. The collected works of MN Roy. 8. Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity — Manu Pillai. 9. The Forces That Shaped Hinduism -- Episode 405 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 10. Ira Mukhoty on Instagram. 11.…

He observed our society from up close as an advertising man -- and then became an iconic storyteller on Twitter. Ramakrishna Desiraju aka Ramki joins Amit Varma in episode 415 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his journey, and all that it taught him. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ramakrishna Desiraju aka Ramki on LinkedIn and Twitter. 2. Cartwheel Creative Consultancy. 3. Selected legendary threads by Ramki. 4. Ramki's commercial for Kotak Mahindra Bank featuring Ranveer Singh. 5. Celluloid Man -- Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. 6. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty -- James Thurber. 7. Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne -- Prakash Jha. 8. All We Imagine as Light -- Payal Kapadia. 9. Heere Ko Kya Pata -- SBI Life Insurance commercial by Prasoon Pandey. 10. The Prem Panicker Files — Episode 217 of The Seen and the Unseen. 11. Dead Poet's Society -- Peter Weir. 12. The Spectacular Life of Prahlad Kakar -- Episode 414 of The Seen and the Unseen. 13. Rumble Fish -- Francis Ford…

He learnt his craft from Shyam Benegal, became a pioneer & a legend of advertising filmmaking, learnt & taught scuba diving, started the Prithvi Cafe, and lived every moment to the full in a million different ways. Prahlad Kakar joins Amit Varma in episode 414 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his long and wondrous life. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Prahlad Kakar on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, IMDb and his own website. 2. Adman Madman: Unapologetically Prahlad -- Prahlad Kakar. 3. Genesis Film Production. 4. Probal DasGupta Goes to the Himalayas With Books in His Bag -- Episode 412 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Watershed 1967: India's Forgotten Victory Over China — Probal DasGupta. 6. Sahil Bloom's tweet on preparation vs planning. 7. Big City Blues -- Mervyn LeRoy. 8. Does India take its national symbols too seriously? — Jan 2008 episode of We the People. 9. Au Hasard Balthazar -- Robert Bresson. 10. The Bicycle Thief -- Vittorio De Sica. 11. Blade Runner…

One of India's tragedies lies in the schooling of our children. We have let our kids down. Can we fix this problem? Shaheen Mistri joins Amit Varma in episode 413 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her journey -- and what she has learnt about education. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shaheen Mistri on Instagram, LinkedIn, Wikipedia and Facebook. 2. Redrawing India: The Teach For India Story -- Kovid Gupta and Shaheen Mistri. 3. Teach For India. 4. Akanksha Foundation. 5. The City and the City -- China Miéville. 6. The Rooted Cosmopolitanism of Sugata Srinivasaraju — Episode 277 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. Teach For America. 8. Indicorps. 9. Sahil Bloom's tweet on planning and preparation. 10. Lighthouse Studios. 11. Third Space. 12. The Conference of the Birds by Teach For India. 13. Slam Out Loud. 14. Kahani Tree. 15. What Feelings Do When No One's Looking -- Tina Oziewicz and Aleksandra Zajac. 16. Charlotte's Web -- EB White. 17. Oh, The Places You'll Go! -- Dr…

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 DasGupta. 3. Camouflaged: Forgotten Stories from Battlefields -- Probal DasGupta. 4. The Loneliness of the Indian Man — Episode 303 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Nikhil Taneja). 5. The Killing Fields -- Roland Joffé. 6. Shame -- Salman Rushdie. 7. Midnight's Children -- Salman Rushdie. 8. The Satanic Verses -- Salman Rushdie. 9. India's War -- Srinath Raghavan. 10. A Deep Dive Into Ukraine vs Russia — Episode 335 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ajay Shah). 11. The State of the Ukraine War — Episode 14 of Everything is Everything.…

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 Unseen. 4. Biju Rao Won't Bow to Conventional Wisdom — Episode 392 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Sowmya Dhanaraj Is Making a Difference — Episode 380 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. The Beauty of Finance -- Ep 21 of Everything is Everything. 7. How Family Firms Evolve -- Ep 34 of Everything is Everything. 8. From Imperial to Adaptive Firms -- Ep 37 of Everything is Everything. 9. Graduating to Globalisation -- Epi 48 of Everything is Everything. 10. The Horrors of KYC -- Episode 74 of Everything is Everything. 11. Episodes…

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 -- Episodes 400 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Other episodes of The Seen and the Unseen w Shruti Rajagopalan, in reverse chronological order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. 6. The Day Ryan Started Masturbating -- Amit Varma's newsletter post explaining Shruti Rajagopalan's swimming pool analogy for social science research. 7. A Deep Dive Into Education -- Episode 54 of Everything is Everything. 8. Fixing Indian Education — Episode 185 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Karthik Muralidharan). 9.…

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 -- Salil Tripathi. 3. The Colonel Who Would Not Repent -- Salil Tripathi. 4. Offence – The Hindu Case -- Salil Tripathi. 5. Detours: Songs of the Open Road -- Salil Tripathi. 6. For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit -- Edited by Shilpa Gupta and Salil Tripathi. 7. The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism — Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul). 8. Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India — Akshaya Mukul. 9. Saraswatichandra (Gujarati) (English) -- Govardhanram Tripathi. 10. Gujarat Ni Asmita -- KM Munshi. 11. I…

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 Observer's Notebook -- Amitava Kumar. 3. Amitava Kumar Finds the Breath of Life — Episode 265 of The Seen and the Unseen. 4. Amitava Kumar Finds His Kashmiri Rain -- Episode 364 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. The Blue Book: A Writer's Journal — Amitava Kumar. 6. The Yellow Book: A Traveller's Diary — Amitava Kumar. 7. My Beloved Life: A Novel -- Amitava Kumar. 8. A Million Mutinies Now -- VS Naipaul. 9. The Trees — Philip Larkin. 10. Before the Storm -- Amitava Kumar. 11. Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India through…

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 podcast on Spotify. 3. The Gurmat Sangeet Podcast. 4. The Gurmat Sangeet Project. 5. The Story of the Sikhs: 1469-1708 -- Sarbpreet Singh. 6. Cauldron, Sword and Victory: The Rise of the Sikhs -- Sarbpreet Singh. 7. The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia -- Sarbpreet Singh. 8. Kultar's Mime -- Sarbpreet Singh. 9. Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories from 1984 -- Sarbpreet Singh. 10. The Sufi's Nightingale -- Sarbpreet Singh. 11. Nanak Was Here — Episode 166 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Amardeep Singh). 12. Devdutt Pattanaik…

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 Mere Bandhu Re: The Musical World Of SD Burman -- Sathya Saran. 4. Baat Niklegi Toh Phir: The Life and Music of Jagjit Singh -- Sathya Saran. 5. Breath of Gold: Hariprasad Chaurasia -- Sathya Saran. 6. The Dark Side and Other Stories -- Sathya Saran. 7. How To Look Like Miss India -- Sathya Saran. 8. Gulzar's Angoor: Insights into The Film -- Sathya Saran. 9. From Me to You -- Sathya Saran. 10. Madhumati -- Bimal Roy. 11. How We Do the Small Things -- Amit Varma. 12. The Life and Times of Shanta Gokhale — Episode 311 of The…

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 Identity -- Manu Pillai. 3. The Deccan Before Shivaji — Episode 98 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 4. Our Colorful Past — Episode 127 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 5. Kerala and the Ivory Throne — Episode 156 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 6. The Multitudes of Our Maharajahs -- Episode 244 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 7. Jeff Bezos on The Lex Fridman Podcast. 8. The Changing Forms of Creativity -- Episode 72 of Everything is Everything. 9. Hardcore History — Dan Carlin. 10.…