

The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma
Amit Varma
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 6, 2018 • 1h 6min
Ep. 80: India in the Nuclear Age
India as a nuclear power is a different force from what it was before we went nuclear. Lt Gen Prakash Menon joins Amit Varma(https://twitter.com/amitvarma) in episode 80 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe how War and Statecraft have been redefined by nuclear weapons. Also read: Lt Gen Menon's book, The Strategy Trap: India and Pakistan Under the Nuclear Shadow(https://www.amazon.in/Strategy-Trap-Pakistan-Nuclear-Shadow/dp/8183285244/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533201671&sr=1-1&keywords=prakash+menon) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Jul 30, 2018 • 41min
Ep. 79: Democracy in Pakistan
Is there really democracy in Pakistan? What were these elections all about? Pranay Kotasthane(https://twitter.com/pranaykotas) and Hamsini Hariharan(https://twitter.com/HamsiniH) join Amit Varma(https://twitter.com/amitvarma) in episode 79 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the two Pakistans, and what lies ahead. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Jul 23, 2018 • 1h 5min
Ep. 78: Crowd Violence in India
More and more, across this country, violent crowds are taking the law into their own hands. What's going on? Legal experts Madhav Chandavarkar and Alok Prasanna Kumar share their insights with Amit Varma in episode 78 of The Seen and the Unseen. We Don't Need Another Law (https://express.thinkpragati.com/2018/07/18/why-dont-need-another-law/)-- Amit Varma You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Jul 16, 2018 • 1h 12min
Ep. 77: Education in India
According to education scholar and activist Amit Chandra, education in India is a fraud committed on the people of this country by the state. He joins Amit Varma in episode 77 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why. Also check out: The Profit Motive in Education: Episode 9 of The Seen and the Unseen (http://www.seenunseen.in/episodes/2017/3/13/episode-9-the-profit-motive-in-education) The Right to Screw up Education: Episode 19 of The Seen and the Unseen (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/1462/right-screw-education/) Data on School Closures (http://nisaindia.org/data-on-school-closures) Our Unlucky Children -- Amit Varma (Jan 2008)(http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/our-unlucky-children/) Annual Status of Education (ASER) Report 2017 (http://www.asercentre.org/Keywords/p/315.html) The Aggregate Effect of School Choice -- Karthik Muralidharan & Venkatesh Sundararaman (https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/130/3/1011/1931887) A political economy of education in India: The case of UP -- Geeta Kingdon & Mohd. Muzammil (http://ceid.educ.cam.ac.uk/publications/OPI_KingdonMuzammil20081.pdf) Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot (https://academic.oup.com/jeea/article-abstract/3/2-3/658/2281517?redirectedFrom=fulltext)

Jul 8, 2018 • 60min
Ep. 76: Claiming Your Space
Misogyny is ubiquitous. Women begin life with the odds stacked against them. Aditi Mittal joins Amit Varma in episode 76 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how hard it was for her to claim her space. Guest appearance: Swati Bakshi. Also read: Misogyny is the Oldest Indian Tradition-Amit Varma (http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/misogyny-is-the-oldest-indian-tradition/) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Jul 2, 2018 • 1h 12min
Ep. 75: Stand-Up Comedy in India
"Comedy is tragedy plus time." Aditi Mittal joins Amit Varma to elaborate on this in Episode 75 of The Seen and the Unseen. Abbas Momin sits in as well, as the conversation spins from the evolution of stand-up in India to the challenges it faces. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com

Jun 25, 2018 • 58min
Ep. 74: The Bad and Complex Tax
GST was supposed to be a Good and Simple Tax, but has ended up as just the opposite. This is hurting the poor the most. Economist Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 74 of The Seen and the Unseen to suggest a way out. Also check out: -Simple Rules for a Complex World (https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/fStxh8vE5vQCW7V1hq1hOK/Simple-rules-for-a-complex-world-GST-classification.html) - Shruti Rajagopalan -GST -- Episode 3 of The Seen and the Unseen with Devangshu Datta(http://www.seenunseen.in/episodes/2017/1/31/episode-3-gst) -GST Revisited (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/1847/kitkat-chocolate-biscuit/) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Jun 18, 2018 • 1h 6min
Ep. 73: Trade Deficits (and Trumpism)
The US has a trade deficit with China. Trump is worried. Trump is nuts. Vivek Kaul explains why to Amit Varma in episode 73 of The Seen and the Unseen. You can listen to the episode on 'Protectionism with Anupam Manur here: https://bit.ly/2JEXu1J You can listen to the 'Easy Money' episode with Vivek Kaul here: https://bit.ly/2yfeS7X You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Jun 11, 2018 • 47min
Ep. 72: The GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has just been passed in Europe. What are its Unseen Effects? What can India learn from it? Legal expert Manasa Venkataraman joins Amit Varma in episode 72 of The Seen and the Unseen to demystify this subject. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Jun 4, 2018 • 51min
Ep. 71: Data and the Government
The Indian government has a disturbing tendency to cherry-pick data. Vivek Kaul joins Amit Varma in episode 71 of The Seen and the Unseen to catch them with their pants down. Also read: 'How to cherry-pick data, Arvind Panagariya-style'(https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/05/07/population-job-seekers-data-arvind-panagariya-modi-government-unemployment) - Vivek Kaul 'How to Manage Jobs Data, Modi Govt Style'(https://www.equitymaster.com/diary/detail.asp?date=05%2F02%2F2018&story=3&title=How-to-Manage-Jobs-Data-Modi-Govt-Style#.WulTkZgxniU.whatsapp) - Vivek Kaul 'If Tax Collections Have Improved, why is Govt Trying to Tax Free Services of Banks?' (https://www.equitymaster.com/diary/detail.asp?date=04%2F30%2F2018&story=4&title=If-Tax-Collections-Have-Improved-why-is-Govt-Trying-to-Tax-Free-Services-of-Banks#.WucDaLBe2fQ.twitter) - Vivek Kaul 'Budget 2018: India's unpaid subsidies time-bomb just keeps ticking away'(https://www.business-standard.com/budget/article/budget-2018-india-s-unpaid-subsidies-time-bomb-just-keeps-ticking-away-118020100638_1.html) - VIvek Kaul Beware of the Useful Idiots(https://www.thinkpragati.com/editorial/1971/beware-useful-idiots/) - Amit Varma You can buy Vivek Kaul's Easy Money trilogy here (https://www.amazon.in/Easy-Money-Evolution-Robinson-Crusoe-ebook/dp/B07BFMJW18/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527766186&sr=8-1&keywords=easy+money) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/