The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

How has Indian publishing evolved in the last few decades? What does India read, and why? Publisher VK Karthika joins Amit Varma in episode 150 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about what she learnt in her years in Penguin, Harper Collins and (now) Westland. Also check out: Death of the Author -- Roland Barthes (pdf link) How to Read and Why -- Harold Bloom A Poetry Handbook -- Mary Oliver Roseanna -- Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism -- Akshaya Mukul

Jayaprakash Narayan was trained as a physician, served in the IAS, and went on to start a political movement. JP joins Amit Varma in episode 149 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his insights on Indian politics, the nature of the state and what we need to do to change India for the better. Also check out: The State of Indian Politics -- Episode 50 of The Seen and the Unseen (w JP Narayan) What Is It Like to Be a Bat? -- Thomas Nagel (pdf link) Lessons from an Ankhon Dekhi Prime Minister  -- Amit Varma Where Have All The Leaders Gone? -- Amit Varma Government's End -- Jon Rauch The Emergency -- Episode 103 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Gyan Prakash) Urban Governance in India -- Episode 31 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan) Crime in Indian Politics -- Episode 114 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Milan Vaishnav) The Indianness of Indian Food -- Episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vikram Doctor) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

In episode 148 of The Seen and the Unseen, host Amit Varma invokes a fictional super-weapon to build an argument against gun rights in India. Guests Shubho Roy and Sudhanshu Neema disagree with him, and each other, most vigorously. Also check out: The Bombzooka Question -- Amit Varma on India Uncut Resisting State Injustice -- Episode 120 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Jason Brennan) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

Jahangir is often considered a lightweight Mughal emperor, an ineffectual drunkard sandwiched between his father and his son, Akbar and Shah Jahan. But this is an unfair view. Parvati Sharma joins Amit Varma in episode 147 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on not just Jahangir as an emperor, but on his human side, endearing and infuriating in equal measure. Also check out: Jahangir: An Intimate Portrait of a Great Mughal -- Parvati Sharma Women in Indian History -- Episode 144 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ira Mokhoty) Our Colouful Past -- Episode 127 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai) The Deccan Before Shivaji -- Episode 98 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai) Talk by Parvati Sharma at The Loft Shī‘Ī polemics at the Mughal court -- Sajjad Rizvi You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code is an archaic law and needs to go. But what is the historical background of our sedition law? What are the political and social contexts in which it evolved and thrived? Chitranshul Sinha joins Amit Varma in episode 146 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his book on the subject, The Great Repression. Also check out: The Great Repression -- Chitranshul Sinha Don't Insult Pasta (2007) -- Amit Varma Hardcore History by Dan Carlin Archive.org The Emergency -- Episode 103 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Gyan Prakash) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

Is there such a thing as Indian conservatism? What does it mean and where did it come from? Jaithirth Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 145 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his latest book. Also check out: The Indian Conservative -- Jaithirth Rao Conservatism: Ideas in Profile -- Roger Scruton Why I am Not a Conservative -- Friedrich Hayek The Intellectual Foundations of Hindutva -- Episode 115 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Aakar Patel) Religion and Ideology in Indian Society -- Episode 124 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Suyash Rai) Political Ideology in India -- Episode 131 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rahul Verma) The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism -- Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul) Our Colourful Past -- Episode 127 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai) The Right to Property -- Episode 26 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan) Marching for Salt -- Amit Varma The works of Edmund Burke on Amazon. The column archives of Jaithirth Rao in Indian Express. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

The history of humanity is more than just the history of men. Historian Ira Mukhoty joins Amit Varma in episode 144 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about going beyond the male gaze to write history. She also discusses Daughters of the Sun, her account of the rich and complex world of Mughal women. Also check out: Daughters of the Sun -- Ira Mukhoty Heroines -- Ira Mukhoty Yuganta -- Irawati Karve Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal World -- Ruby Lal Empress: -- Ruby Lal Wolf Hall -- Hilary Mantel Rebel Sultans -- Manu Pillai India = Migration -- Episode 128 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Chinmay Tumbe) Early Indians -- Episode 112 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tony Joseph) The Deccan Before Shivaji -- Episode 98 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai) Our Colorful Past -- Episode 127 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

The geopolitics of the West is reasonably well-understood -- but China remains a mystery to many. What drives China? How does it look at India? China expert Manoj Kewalramani joins Amit Varma in episode 143 of The Seen and the Unseen to provide historical context and strategic perspective. Also check out: Modi-Xi Informal Summit: An Indian Interests Agenda -- Manoj Kewalramani Chinese Foreign Policy -- Episode 81 of The Seen and the Unseen Myths About China -- Episode 66 of The Pragati Podcast No, China Isn’t Taking Over the World -- Episode 67 of The Pragati Podcast A Meeting in Mamallapuram -- Episode 179 of All Things Policy Protracted Contest -- John W Garver The India-Pakistan Conflict -- Episode 111 of The Seen and the Unseen India in the Nuclear Age -- Episode 80 of The Seen and the Unseen Eye on China: Manoj Kewalramani's weekly newsletter on China You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

Vivek Kaul and Amit Varma discuss ponzi schemes in India and abroad, the workings of cheat funds, the psychology behind investing in fraudulent schemes, the geopolitical impact of ponzi schemes, and the concept of satisficing and decision fatigue.

Vivek Tejuja, known for his writing on books, has just released his memoir of growing up gay in India. He joins Amit Varma in episode 141 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how he -- and those around him -- came to terms with his sexuality. In the second half of the episode, Vivek and Amit discuss writers they like, and read out their favourite poetry. Also check out: So Now You Know -- Vivek Tejuja Being Gay in India -- Episode 84 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Navin Noronha) Keeping it Queer The Matunga Racket -- Amit Varma Amit Varma's Twitter thread on 'The Lass of Aughrim' and The Dead Almost Invisible -- Mark Strand Sputnik Sweetheart -- Haruki Murakami The Elephant Vanishes -- Haruki Murakami The Bear Came Over the Mountain -- Alice Munro The Man Who Loved Children -- Christina Stead The Notebook -- Agota Kristof Jhumpa Lahiri on Conversations With Tyler Paper Menagerie -- Ken Liu A Poetry Handbook -- Mary Oliver You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios