Ep 454: The Ideas of Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi's ideas shaped modern India, and were as fiercely contested in his time as they are today. Ramachandra Guha joins Amit Varma...
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News & Politics
The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma
This weekly podcast takes its title from Frédéric Bastiat’s famous essay, ‘That which is seen and that which is unseen'. In his essay, Bastiat uses the example of what later came to be known...
Episodes
20 of 458 episodes
Ep 453: Srikrishna Ayyangar Examines Populism
Indian politics is deeply complicated, and existing frames don't do it justice. Srikrishna Ayyangar joins Amit Varma in episode 453 of The S...
Ep 452: Harini Nagendra is Woolgathering and Ground Truthing
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...
Ep 451: Manish Sabharwal is a Good Ancestor
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 U...
Ep 450: Small Doors Into the Large Rooms of India
On Independence Day week, why not look back at some highlights and lowlights of the last 79 years? Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley joi...
Ep 449: Five Assassinations and an Arms Deal
The 1980s were box office, and General K Sundarji was Forrest Gump, everywhere all at once. Probal DasGupta joins Amit Varma in episode 449...
Ep 448: Vidya Mahambare, the Rooted Economist
She is not an ivory tower academic but an economist whose deep understanding of society comes from lived experience and endless curiosity. V...
Ep 447: Rahul Ahluwalia Fights for Growth and Freedom
Eight decades after independence, India still isn't free. Rahul Ahluwalia joins Amit Varma in episode 447 of The Seen and the Unseen to expl...
Ep 446: The Joyful Agency of Luis Miranda
After a successful career as a banker, he decided to devote himself to making his country better off. Luis Miranda joins Amit Varma in episo...
Ep 445: 'I Am Saloni and I Like Collecting Mice'
She's one of the best writers on science today, combining optimism about progress with a realist understanding of the messiness of our world...
Ep 444: Suman Kumar is Perennially Pregnant With Stories
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 V...
Ep 443: The Making of a Law Firm
An Indian lawyer in 2000 could not have recognised the legal ecosystem of today. One firm took India marching forward into a new world. Aksh...
Ep 442: A Masterclass on Regulation (and Deregulation)
We keep using the terms 'regulation' and 'deregulation' -- and now it's time for a primer. Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 44...
Ep 441: Ravikumar Kashi Is in Play Mode
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...
Ep 440: Ram and Friends
We are shaped by the people we let into our lives -- and sometimes only realise this in hindsight. Ramachandra Guha joins Amit Varma in epis...
Ep 439: Janhavi Nilekani Threw the Other Shoe
She is a thinker and doer who takes on difficult problems, whether it's maternal care in India or a dangerous ideological cult. Janhavi Nile...
Ep 438: V Ravichandar is Heading North by Northwest
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 dis...
Ep 437: Gautam John is Figuring it Out
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 bet...
Ep 436: Rukmini and the Numbers
The world is complex, India contains multitudes, and we need more numbers, better numbers, to make sense of it all. Rukmini S joins Amit Var...
Ep 435: A Primer on China
China looms large in our modern world -- and yes, is misunderstood, or not understood at all. Manoj Kewalramani joins Amit Varma in episode...