The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma Ep 216: Being Muslim in India
From Mohalla To Study: A Childhood Of Books
- Gazala Wahab describes growing up in a crowded Muslim mohalla with limited space and heavy reading habits.
- She moved to a more affluent home later, which changed her social exposure and writing trajectory.
Language Shapes What You See
- Multilingual exposure gave Gazala a richer grasp of society because vernaculars conveyed local realities differently than English.
- Hindi and Urdu journalism revealed communal details that English papers often hid.
Riot Night: Stones, Fear, And Police Failure
- During a 1990 riot in Agra, Gazala's family fled to a hotel but returned to find a mob throwing stones at their house.
- The police arrived late and unhelpfully, and many male relatives were rounded up and bruised by authorities.
What is it like to be Muslim in India? Ghazala Wahab joins Amit Varma in episode 216 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss.the history of Islam in the subcontinent -- and how, at this present moment, we may be trapped in a vicious circle. Also check out: 1. Born a Muslim: Some Truths About Islam in India -- Ghazala Wahab. 2. Dragon On Our Doorstep -- Pravin Sawhney and Ghazala Wahab. 3. Force -- The magazine edited by Ghazala Wahab. 4. Ghubar-e-Khatir -- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. 5. The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism -- Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul). 6. Political Ideology in India -- Episode 131 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rahul Verma). 7. The Notebook Trilogy -- Agota Kristof. 8. Jhumpa Lahiri on Writing, Translation, and Crossing Between Cultures -- Episode 17 of Conversations With Tyler. 9. A Writer Learns to See -- Episode 215 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Annie Zaidi). 10. Private Truths, Public Lies -- Timur Kuran. 11. Memories and Things -- Episode 195 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Aanchal Malhotra). 12. Influence of Islam on Indian Culture -- Tara Chand. 13. Our Colorful Past -- Episode 127 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 14. Nanak Was Here -- Episode 166 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Amardeep Singh). 15. The Two Faces of Islam -- Stephen Schwartz. 16. India Wins Freedom -- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. 17. A Life in Indian Politics -- Episode 149 of The Seen and the Unseen (w JP Narayan). 18. Hum Dekhenge -- Written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz and sung by Iqbal Bano. 19. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty -- James Thurber. 20. The Citizenship Battles -- Episode 152 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Srinath Raghavan). 21. Radically Networked Societies -- Episode 158 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pranay Kotasthane). 22. The BJP Before Modi -- Episode 202 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vinay Sitapati). This episode is sponsored by The Great Courses Plus. Check out their course, The Joy of Mathematics. For free unlimited access for a month, click here. Please subscribe to The India Uncut Newsletter. It's free! And check out Amit's online course, The Art of Clear Writing.