The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

Indian history is wild fun. Historian Manu Pillai joins Amit Varma in episode 127 of The Seen and the Unseen to regale him with stories from his latest book. The subjects discussed include caste, gender, narrative manipulation, mad elephants and men blown out of cannons. Also check out: The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin -- Manu Pillai The Deccan Before Shivaji -- Episode 98 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai) When Gandhi was Mohandas -- Episode 104 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha) Being Mahatma -- Episode 105 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ram Guha) The Intellectual Foundations of Hindutva -- Episode 115 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Aakar Patel) 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

Can India ever be a sporting nation? What will it take to get there? Joy Bhattacharjya, who started up Kolkata Knight Riders, brought the u-17 Football World Cup to India and is CEO of the Pro Volleyball League, sure thinks so. He joins Amit Varma in episode 126 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his passion and vision for Indian sport. Also check out: Bindra's Wishlist (2005) -- Amit Varma Opportunity, Choice and the IPL (2008) -- Amit Varma The IPL is Here and Here Are Six Reasons to Celebrate It (2019) -- Amit Varma Netherland -- Joseph O'Neill 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

People often talk of the world of Finance as a giant casino, where sociopathic bankers gamble with the livelihoods of real people. Economist Ajay Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 125 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why this is a misconception, and why Finance is at the heart of our progress. Also check out: Why I Loved and Left Poker -- Amit Varma, from his poker column, Range Rover. Zombie Firms and Creative Destruction -- Episode 118 of The Seen and the Unseen. Futures Markets in Agriculture -- Episode 12 of The Seen and the Unseen. The Indian Financial Code Poker and Stock Markets -- Episode 47 of The Seen and the Unseen 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

What is the role of religion in Indian society? What is conservatism like in India? Suyash Rai joins Amit Varma in episode 124 of The Seen and the Unseen for a wide-ranging free-wheeling chat on these subjects. Also check out: The Intellectual Foundations of Hindutva -- Episode 115 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Aakar Patel) What is Libertarianism? -- Episode 117 of The Seen and the Unseen (w David Boaz) You're From the Mutton Lobby -- Episode 49 of The Seen and the Unseen (Amit Varma solo, on our political discourse) Every Act of Government is an Act of Violence -- Amit Varma The Three Languages of Politics -- Arnold Kling ये लिबरल आख़िर है कौन? -- Episode 37 of Puliyabaazi (w Amit Varma on Hayek) Ayodhya: The Dark Night -- Dhirendra K Jha and Krishna Jha Sacred and Secular -- Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart A Godless Congregation -- Amit Varma 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

As the recent sexual harassment case indicates, all is not well with the Supreme Court of India. Constitutional economist Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 123 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why the Supreme Court has gone wrong on both ends of the tradeoff between Independence and Accountability. Also read: Justice Is Dead, Long Live the Justices -- Shruti Rajagopalan Imagine No Possessions -- Episode 26 of The Seen and the Unseen Fixing Our Judicial System -- Episode 62 of The Seen and the Unseen Ek Baar Jo Maine Commitment Kar Di -- Amit Varma Where Have All the Leaders Gone? -- Amit Varma 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

Elections in India are madly complex, and defy simple explanations. Sadanand Dhume joins Amit Varma in episode 122 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the Age of Modi, and what these elections mean for India, the BJP and the Congress party. Also check out: Sadanand Dhume's bio and archives The Questions That Election 2019 Leaves Us With -- Amit Varma Beware of the Useful Idiots -- Amit Varma Amit Varma's writings+podcasts on DeMon, in one twitter thread The Intellectual Foundations of Hindutva -- ep 115 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Aakar Patel) Modi's Lost Opportunity -- ep 119 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Salman Soz) The BJP's Magic Formula -- ep 45 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Prashant Jha) Rajesh Jain's Journey to Dhan Vapasi -- ep 94 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rajesh Jain) The Paradox of Narendra Modi -- ep 102 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shashi Tharoor) Why Both Modi and Trump are Textbook Populists -- Amit Varma 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

Governments consist of people, and people respond to incentives. For this reason, there is no better way to understand government than through the tools of economics. Episode 121 of The Seen and the Unseen is a rerun of an old episode of The Pragati Podcast, in which Amit Varma introduces Pavan Srinath to the mindblowing insights of Public Choice Theory. Also check out: What Does It Mean to Be Libertarian? -- ep 64 of The Seen and the Unseen Public Choice: A Primer -- Eomonn Butler Politics Without Romance -- Amit Varma's monthly column on Public Choice for Bloomberg Quint Parkinson's Law -- C Northcote Parkinson The Calculus of Consent -- James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock Bureaucracy and Public Economics -- William A Niskanen Urban Governance in India -- ep 31 of The Seen and the Unseen Restaurant Regulations in India -- ep 18 of The Seen and the Unseen Of Endings and Beginnings -- Amit Varma's goodbye editorial for Pragati

Conventional wisdom holds that there are three ways to respond to injustice by the state: we may leave, complain, or comply. Philosopher Jason Brennan joins Amit Varma in episode 120 of The Seen and the Unseen to argue that there is a fourth option: to resist. Also check out: When All Else Fails -- Jason Brennan The Milgram Experiment  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

Despite being a Congress spokesperson, economist Salman Soz was hopeful in 2014 that the Modi government would be good for India. As the title of his new book indicates, that turned out to be quite The Great Disappointment. Soz joins Amit Varma in episode 119 of The Seen and the Unseen to elaborate on the many economic failures of the Modi government. He also tackles tough questions on the Congress party. Also check out: The Great Disappointment -- Salman Soz India's Lost Decade -- Ep 116 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Puja Mehra) DeMon, Morality and the Predatory Indian State -- Ep 85 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan) The Bad and Complex Tax -- ep 74 of The Seen and the Unseen ( w Shruti Rajagopalan) The Fraud of Indian Education -- ep 77 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Amit Chandra) The Importance of Cities -- ep 108 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Reuben Abraham & Pritika Hingorani) The State of Our Farmers -- ep 86 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Gunvant Patil) Beware of the Useful Idiots -- Amit Varma A Manifesto for Progress -- Amit Varma 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 Indian economy has the seeds of a horror film, with zombies stalking the landscape. Air India is one. Jet could have been another had it been rescued. Economist Ajay Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 118 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain the importance of creative destruction, and why failing firms should be allowed to die. Also discussed: price controls and market failure. Do check out: Making Sense of Airline Troubles -- Ajay Shah Lessons from the RCom Mess -- Ajay Shah A Great Churning -- Ajay Shah Bankruptcy Process and the Utilisation of Assets -- Ajay Shah Using the Bankruptcy Code for Privatisation -- Ajay Shah What Happens to Private Airlines When Air India is Privatised? -- Ajay Shah The Price is Right -- Amit Varma 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