Everything is Everything

Education in India is broken. It is a tragic waste of our potential. How can it be fixed? Why will pumping in more spending solve nothing? What is the link between education & development? Why do we need to redefine education? Welcome to Episode 54 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay give a comprehensive lay of the land in the field of education in India, challenging many conventional notions on the way. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here⁠⁠⁠.

Cycling is physically one of the most gruelling sports in the world -- and it requires as much of the mind as of the body. Welcome to Episode 53 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit explains his passion for cycling by telling us how the sport works. Amit and Ajay discuss the kinds of races and the kinds of racers. They discuss why it is a team sport. They get into deep nuances of strategy -- and the drama of some of the great stories in modern cycling. Get into the slipstream! For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, ⁠⁠click here⁠⁠.

We love chess -- and now, as it has exploded as a spectator sport, so do millions of others. But why do we love it so much? What does it mean for India that D Gukesh has qualified for the World Championship match? How did Vishy Anand inspire a generation of grandmasters to emerge? What role do computers play? Welcome to Episode 52 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit takes us through a history of the World Chess Championships, all the way from 1886 to now. He discusses the intellectual evolution of the game -- and the geopolitics of it. He parses the role of computers, and explains why the game is more exciting now than ever before. Ajay adds in some higher-order thoughts about chess and society. And finally, right at the end, the two of them even play a game! For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, ⁠click here⁠.

We have normalized lines on maps -- but they are unnatural to the way we live. They are toxic in the ways they push us to think of people in categories decided by the accidents of geography and politics. We must free our minds. We must tear down these walls. Welcome to Episode 51 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.

Hooray! We've reached episode 50, and it's time for an AMA. In this episode, Amit and Ajay answer questions from gentle readers that were solicited through Twitter and elsewhere. No holds barred, straight from the heart! This episode was first published on YouTube on June 7, 2024. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.

Podcasting is such an exciting medium. Would YOU like to start a podcast? Do you have questions about first principles & what you need to get started? Here's our attempt at a podcasting masterclass! Welcome to Episode 49 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma & Ajay Shah. Started in 2017, The Seen and the Unseen went against conventional wisdom & built up a cult audience. In this episode, Amit shares everything he has learnt about podcasting, all the way from higher-order thinking to the brasstacks of starting. Enjoy! This episode was first published on YouTube on May 31, 2024. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.

In these insular times of shrill nationalistic rhetoric, there is a danger that we may become less globalised instead of more. But internationalisation (aka I18N) is key to India's progress. The more Indian firms learn to compete in the global marketplace, the more our nation will prosper. Welcome to Episode 48 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay shares his thinking around what I18N implies, how it involves more than exports, and how Indian firms can make that journey. This episode was first published on YouTube on May 24, 2024. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.

India is too large to be governed in a top-down way, with an all-powerful center. It makes a mockery of democracy. Decentralisation is the only way out. Welcome to Episode 47 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss how a country as large and diverse as India needs more local government. But what does this mean in practical terms? Should we be happy with dictatorial chief ministers? How does democracy work at the level of a village? Why do we need many more states -- and empowered cities? Does Bubba really know the Pope? This episode was first published on YouTube on May 17, 2024. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.

It is fashionable for privileged elites to have ideas about the world that make them feel virtuous -- but end up harming the poor. Stay away from such Luxury Beliefs! Welcome to Episode 46 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss how socialism, focusing on inequality, banning victimless crimes and being generally against capitalism can fill you with a sense of your own goodness -- but also end up hurting the poor. Dive in with an open mind! This episode was first published on YouTube on May 10, 2024. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.

Our brains are hardwired to think in ways suited to a pre-historic world -- which is why there are so many fallacies in our thinking! Welcome to Episode 45 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss five foundational fallacies, and speak about how we can improve our thinking if we learn to recognise them and avoid them. Who can object to becoming a better thinker! This episode was first published on YouTube on May 3, 2024. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.