The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

By Amit Varma

Society & Culture

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The Seen and the Unseen, hosted by Amit Varma, features longform conversations that aim to give deep insights into the subjects being discussed. Timeless and bingeworthy.

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Ep 315: Arshia Sattar and t...

02.06.2023

The Ramayana is not one book, but a living text with countless versions across languages, each reflecting the values of its time and place. Arshia Sattar joins Amit Varma to share her insights from decades of study. Also discussed: the ...

The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma episodes:

02.06.2023 Ep 315: Arshia Sattar and the Complex Search for Dharma The Ramayana is not one book, but a living text with countless versions across languages, each reflecting the values of its time and place. Arshia Sattar joins Amit Varma to share her insights from decades of study. Also discussed: the ...
01.30.2023 Ep 314: The Life and Times of Jerry Pinto Poet, novelist, translator, journalist, crime fiction writer, children's book author, teacher, math tutor: now here is a man who contains multitudes. Jerry Pinto joins Amit Varma in episode 314 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life ...
01.23.2023 Ep 313: The Long Road From Neeyat to Neeti Public policy may seem arcane and complicated, a field only for geeks. But all our lives are shaped by it. Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley join Amit Varma in episode 313 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe ...
01.16.2023 Ep 312: Ashutosh Salil and the Challenge of Change He is an IAS officer who has just co-written a book about Gandhian social workers in Vidarbha. Ashutosh Salil joins Amit Varma in episode 312 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the difficult work of bringing about ...
01.09.2023 Ep 311: The Life and Times of Shanta Gokhale She's been a novelist, a playwright, a critic, an essayist, a memoirist, a journalist, a writer for cinema and a historian of theatre -- in both English and Marathi. Shanta Gokhale joins Amit Varma in episode 311 of The Seen ...
01.02.2023 Ep 310: Abby Philips Fights for Science and Medicine Known online as The Liver Doctor, he's a crusader against quackery of all sorts. Cyriac Abby Philips joins Amit Varma in episode 310 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey to becoming a doctor-scientist, the breakthroughs in ...
12.26.2022 Ep 309: The Adda at the End of the Universe As 2022 draws to a close, it's time to chill. Vikram Sathaye and Roshan Abbas join Amit Varma in episode 309 of The Seen and the Unseen to share wit, wisdom and life lessons that are priceless. There is cricket, ...
12.19.2022 Ep 308: Saaz Aggarwal Enters a Vanished Homeland Borders and nation states can sometimes seek to divide communities -- but isn't that a bit like cutting water with a knife? Saaz Aggarwal joins Amit Varma in episode 308 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her work ...
12.12.2022 Ep 307: Suyash Rai Embraces India's Complexity Indian society, the Indian state and the Indian economy are all complex beasts that defy simple narratives. Suyash Rai joins Amit Varma in episode 307 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe how he has tried to make sense ...
12.05.2022 Ep 306: The History of the Planning Commission Society cannot be designed in a top-down way. Central planning was a historic blunder that harmed India -- even though it was conceived by great men with good intentions. Nikhil Menon joins Amit Varma in episode 306 of The Seen ...
11.28.2022 Ep 305: Coomi Kapoor Has the Inside Track She's been a journalist for half a century, wrote the definitive book on the Emergency, and is revered for her political insight. Coomi Kapoor joins Amit Varma in episode 305 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her life, ...
11.21.2022 Ep 304: Make Me a Canteen for My Soul Food is more than just sustenance for the body. Food contains stories, memories, emotions, and the ingredients of the self. Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage join Amit Varma in episode 304 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe their ...
11.14.2022 Ep 303: The Loneliness of the Indian Man Women are not the only victims of patriarchy -- men are also diminished by it. Nikhil Taneja joins Amit Varma in episode 303 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss what he has learnt about mental health, young people ...
11.07.2022 Ep 302: The Life and Times of Teesta Setalvad She began as a journalist in the pursuit of truth. She went on to embrace activism in the pursuit of justice. Teesta Setalvad joins Amit Varma in episode 302 to talk about all that she learnt from her life and ...
10.31.2022 Ep 301: Natasha Badhwar Lives the Examined Life Her acclaimed personal essays explore motherhood, marriage and this modern world -- and hold up a mirror to all of us. Natasha Badhwar joins Amit Varma in episode 301 to speak about her life and her writing. (For full linked ...
10.24.2022 Ep 300: The Gentle Wisdom of Pratap Bhanu Mehta Our selves are nebulous, the world is complex and the times they are a-changin'. Pratap Bhanu Mehta joins Amit Varma in episode 300 of The Seen and the Unseen for a freewheeling chat about how to make sense of all ...
10.17.2022 Ep 299: The Reflections of Samarth Bansal What should a newsroom report on? Does journalism know its own purpose? Do we? What ethics should we live by, and why? Samarth Bansal joins Amit Varma in episode 299 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about living ...
10.10.2022 Ep 298: The Life and Work of Ashwini Deshpande Her pioneering work has helped us understand how caste and gender remain huge problems in India. But her past goes beyond numbers, into a rich history of aajobas and aajis and theatre and song. Ashwini Deshpande joins Amit Varma in ...
10.03.2022 Ep 297: Alice Evans Studies the Great Gender Divergence We're in the 21st century, and it would seem that the world is finally moving towards gender equality, right? Not so fast. Alice Evans joins Amit Varma in episode 297 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss why some ...
09.26.2022 Ep 296: Caste, Capitalism and Chandra Bhan Prasad The evil of caste will be solved not by deliverance from up top but empowerment from down below. Dalit scholar and writer Chandra Bhan Prasad joins Amit Varma in episode 296 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why ...
09.19.2022 Ep 295: The Girl From Kashmir Imagine being a young girl growing up in a world of constant curfews, occasional raids, army bunkers outside homes, and the fear that whoever leaves home may not return. Farah Bashir joins Amit Varma in episode 295 of The Seen ...
09.12.2022 Ep 294: Dance Dance For the Halva Waala You can lose yourself in cinema -- and you can find yourself in it. Jai Arjun Singh and Subrat Mohanty join Amit Varma in episode 294 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the films in their lives, ...
09.05.2022 Ep 293: Womaning in India With Mahima Vashisht The world we live in is designed by men for men. What is it like to be a woman in this world? Mahima Vashisht joins Amit Varma in episode 293 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her experiences ...
08.29.2022 Ep 292: Varun Grover Is in the House He's one of our finest writers, lyricists, comedians, dissenters -- and the breadth of his work is matched by the depth of his insights. Varun Grover joins Amit Varma in episode 292 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk ...
08.22.2022 Ep 291: The Refreshing Audacity of Vinay Singhal He was born in a small village in Haryana, built and lost one of the biggest viral sites in the world, and is now building a Netflix for India's dialects. Vinay Singhal joins Amit Varma in episode 291 of The ...
08.14.2022 Ep 290: Karthik Muralidharan Examines the Indian State In 1947, few people gave us 75 years. Bloody hell, here we are! And it is up to us now to make this country the best version of itself. Karthik Muralidharan joins Amit Varma in episode 290 of The Seen ...
08.08.2022 Ep 289: Shruti Jahagirdar is the Sporty One She's skated down tekdis, played volleyball for her state, run through deserts and wrestled a bear with her bare hands. Ok, not the last one. Shruti Jahagirdar joins Amit Varma in episode 289 of The Seen and the Unseen to ...
08.01.2022 Ep 288: Chandrahas Choudhury's Country of Literature To immerse yourself in literature is to immerse yourself in the world. Chandrahas Choudhury joins Amit Varma in episode 288 of The Seen and the Unseen to chat about reading, writing, friendship, Mumbai and the guests at his fantasy dinner ...
07.25.2022 Ep 287: The Life and Times of Urvashi Butalia She helped generations of women in India find a voice. She expanded the worldview of countless people. She confronted the horrors of our past and the fissures of our present. Urvashi Butalia joins Amit Varma in episode 287 of The ...
07.18.2022 Ep 286: Pradeep Magazine Replays His Life He wrote about cricket for decades -- and also turned his piercing gaze on society and himself. Pradeep Magazine joins Amit Varma in episode 286 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his journey, and how it changed ...
07.11.2022 Ep 285: The Life and Times of Montek Singh Ahluwalia Our real heroes are often backstage. Montek Singh Ahluwalia joins Amit Varma in episode 285 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his learnings and the liberalisation of 1991. Also check out: 1. Backstage: The Story behind ...
07.04.2022 Ep 284: The Life and Times of Nilanjana Roy A lifetime spent reading, writing and reflecting teaches you a lot. Nilanjana Roy joins Amit Varma in episode 284 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about books, feminism, family, memory and the state of the world. Also check ...
06.27.2022 Ep 283: The Forgotten Greatness of PV Narasimha Rao If leaders are to be judged by their actions, PV Narasimha Rao was our tallest leader. Vinay Sitapati joins Amit Varma in episode 283 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how Rao showed conviction and political skill in ...
06.20.2022 Ep 282: Naushad Forbes Wants to Fix India He's been an academic who's studied the country, and a businessman who's created wealth and jobs. Now he wants to help India achieve its potential. Naushad Forbes joins Amit Varma in episode 282 of The Seen and the Unseen to ...
06.13.2022 Ep 281: From Cairo to Delhi With Max Rodenbeck He grew up in Cairo, spent many years writing on the Middle East, saw the Arab Spring coming, and was bureau chief of the Economist in South Asia. Max Rodenbeck joins Amit Varma in episode 281 of The Seen and ...
06.06.2022 Ep 280: Manjima Bhattacharjya: The Making of a Feminist The world is changing for women -- but is it getting better? Manjima Bhattacharjya joins Amit Varma in episode 280 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her journey as a feminist and why she believes in the long ...
05.30.2022 Ep 279: Abhijit Bhaduri Breaks the Algorithm If you make space for serendipity in your life, good things happen. Abhijit Bhaduri joins Amit Varma in episode 279 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey from the corporate life to the creator economy -- and ...
05.23.2022 Ep 278: Climate Change and Our Power Sector To fight climate change, we need to reform the power sector. Right now, it's dysfunctional. Akshay Jaitly and Ajay Shah join Amit Varma in episode 278 of The Seen and the Unseen to share their roadmap for change. Also check ...
05.16.2022 Ep 277: The Rooted Cosmopolitanism of Sugata Srinivasaraju He grew up breathing Kannada literature -- and he also embraced the globalised world. Sugata Srinivasaraju joins Amit Varma in episode 277 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss this confluence of the old and the new, the near ...
05.09.2022 Ep 276: The Incredible Curiosities of Mukulika Banerjee How did one of the greatest nonviolent movements in history emerge from within the supposedly violent Pathans of the wild frontier? Why do poor people in India vote even though there seems to be no point to it? Why does ...
05.02.2022 Ep 275: Hussain Haidry, Hindustani Musalmaan We live in times when all Indian Muslims are forced to be aware of their Muslimness. Hussain Haidry joins Amit Varma in episode 275 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his art and these difficult ...
04.25.2022 Ep 274: Two-and-a-Half Bengalis Have an Economics Adda India is in bad shape. Bad economics is one reason why. Economists Rajeswari Sengupta and Shrayana Bhattacharya join Amit Varma in episode 274 of The Seen and the Unseen to take stock of the mess. You don't like dissent? Too ...
04.18.2022 Ep 273: Warren Mendonsa Plays the Universal Pentatonic He's that Blackstratblues guy. He's done rock, blues, sessions work for Bollywood, and you can't put him in a box. Indie music legend Warren Mendonsa joins Amit Varma and guest co-host Chuck Gopal in episode 273 of The Seen and ...
04.11.2022 Ep 272: The Ferment of Our Founders Our freedom fighters didn't just fight the British. They also grappled with each other in the marketplace of ideas and actions. Shruti Kapila joins Amit Varma in episode 272 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe how so many ...
04.04.2022 Ep 271: Crossing Over With Deepak Shenoy Deepak Shenoy wants to ask Amit Varma about the creator economy. Amit wants to talk to Deepak about finance and his new book. Episode 271 of The Seen and the Unseen is a crossover episode with the Capital Mind Podcast ...
03.28.2022 Ep 270: Aakar Patel Is Full of Hope Things are bad -- so bad that he's written two books about it. Aakar Patel joins Amit Varma in episode 270 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss politics, the media and his reasons for being hopeful in spite ...
03.21.2022 Ep 269: The Life and Times of Nirupama Rao A lifetime in diplomacy gave Nirupama Rao an inside view of the making of the first draft of history. She joins Amit Varma in episode 269 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her life lessons -- and what ...
03.14.2022 Ep 268: Russia, Ukraine, Foreign Policy Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not just a seminal moment in world history, but a teachable one. Pranay Kotasthane and Nitin Pai join Amit Varma in episode 268 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss concepts and frameworks of ...
03.07.2022 Ep 267: Dhanya Rajendran Fights the Gaze Indian mainstream media tends to see our country with the gaze of a privileged North Indian man. That is changing. Dhanya Rajendran joins Amit Varma in episode 267 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her journey in ...
02.28.2022 Ep 266: Ram Guha Reflects on His Life Historians write about the lives of others -- but what about their own journeys? Ramachandra Guha joins Amit Varma in episode 266 of The Seen and the Unseen to reflect on his notion of home, how he got from there ...

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