The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

What does it mean when we say that something is 'Indian'? Does origin matter? Food writer Vikram Doctor joins Amit Varma in episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about how most of what we think of as Indian food originated elsewhere -- and it doesn't matter. Also check out The Real Food Podcast on Audiomatic

Rajesh Jain was one of the architects of Narendra Modi's win in 2014 -- and then got buyer's remorse and turned against the BJP. Now, he has launched Dhan Vapasi, an insanely ambitious and innovative attempt at disrupting Indian politics. He joins Amit Varma in episode 94 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain where he's coming from. Note: The first half of the show is about Jain's political journey before this: supporting Modi, changing his mind etc. The conversation about Dhan Vapasi starts at 1:03:25. Also check out: The Dhan Vapasi website The Dhan Vapasi Manifesto The Dhan Vapasi Bill Rajesh Jain's websiteDeMon, Morality and the Predatory Indian State-- Episode 85 of The Seen and the Unseen (on Demonetisation) Why Are Our Cities So Messed Up?-- Episode 31 of The Seen and the Unseen (on Urban Governance) The State of Our Farmers -- Episode 86 of The Seen and the Unseen (on Agriculture) Reclaim the Sky -- Episode 11 of The Seen and the Unseen (on FSI) Shruti Rajagopalan's talk on the many changes to our constitution

For over 200 years, America has been interested in South Asia across three separate axes: power, ideology and culture. Historian Srinath Raghavan joins Amit Varma in episode 93 of The Seen and the Unseen to provide a guided tour of this fascinating history. Also read: The Most Dangerous Place: A History of the United States in South Asia.

Will the #MeToo movement change behaviour by changing incentives? Economist Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 92 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about Criminal Economics in the context of crimes on women in India. Also check out: Changing the Costs for the Rational Sexual Predator: Shruti Rajagopalan in Mint Men Must Step Up Now: Amit Varma's ediotrial in Pragati The Importance of #MeToo: Episode 90 of The Seen and the Unseen Metrics of Empowerment: Episode 88 of The Seen and the Unseen Fixing Our Judicial System: Episode 62 of The Seen and the Unseen

The crisis at IL&FS reveals just how rotten India's financial system is. Vivek Kaul and Ashutosh Datar join Amit Varma in episode 91 of The Seen and the Unseen to demystify the problem. Also check out: DeMon, Morality & the Predatory Indian State -- Episode 85 of The Seen and the Unseen The DNA of the NPA -- Episode 32 of The Seen and the Unseen It's Time to Stop Buying LIC Policies -- Vivek Kaul LIC Should Not Rescue IL&FS -- Vivek Kaul Slay This Indian Hydra -- Andy Mukherjee How IL&FS Was Enriching Itself at Public Cost -- Sucheta Dalal IL&FS: The debt pyramid -- Samar Srivastava

#MeToo is the most important cultural moment of our lifetimes. Supriya Nair and Nikita Saxena join Amit Varma in episode 90 of The Seen and the Unseen to share their insights. Also check out: Hostile Climate: Nikita Saxena (Feature on RK Pachauri) #MeToo is anarchic, and that's a good thing: Supriya Nair Metrics of Empowerment: Episode 88 of The Seen and the Unseen Claiming Your Space: Episode 76 of The Seen and the Unseen One Bad Law Goes, but Women Remain Second Class Citizens: Amit Varma I am a Feminist. You should be too: Amit Varma

Are journalists redundant in a world where no one cares about facts any more? Are we to cater to people's imagined realities? And when money and power come together, how are Independent journalists to resist? Sidharth Bhatia of The Wire and Peter Griffin of The Hindu join Amit Varma in episode 89 of The Seen and the Unseen. Also check out: The State of the Media: Episode 46 of The Seen and the Unseen, with Prem Panicker The Facts Do Not Matter -- Amit Varma

The lives of women in India must be gradually getting better, right? How do we measure this? Devika Kher, Nidhi Gupta and Hamsini Hariharan join Amit Varma in episode 88 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss a range of possible metrics. Also check out: Where Are the Jobs? -- Episode 87 of The Seen and the Unseen, with Yazad Jal Claiming Your Space -- Episode 76 of The Seen and the Unseen, with Aditi Mittal & Swati Bakshi Take Cities to the Women -- Devika Kher Frailty, Thy Name is Public Policy -- Devika Kher We Should Celebrate Rising Divorce Rates -- Amit Varma Misogyny is the Oldest Indian Tradition -- Amit Varma Namita Bhandare's series on IndiaSpend

India has entered a massive jobs crisis, with more than a million people coming into the workforce every month -- and not enough jobs. Will our Demographic Dividend be a Demographic Disaster? Yazad Jal of the 20 Million Jobs project joins Amit Varma in episode 87 of The Seen and the Unseen to give insight on the scale of the problem. Also check out: The Jobscape -- Yazad Jal 20 Million Jobs: Episode 48 of The Pragati Podcast The Coming Jobs Crisis: Episode 20 of The Seen and the Unseen Namita Bhandare's series on IndiaSpend Why India has a Jobs Crisis -- Vivek Kaul The Agricultural Crisis is a Jobs Crisis -- Nitin Pai But What About the Jobs Crisis? -- Anupam Manur

India's agricultural crisis has been caused by the state. Farmer leader Gunvant Patil of the Shetkari Sanghatana joins Amit Varma in episode 86 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain the many ways in which Big Government has created our agricultural crisis. Also see: 'We Must Save Our Farmers' -- Amit Varma 'Free the Farmers' -- Barun Mitra 'The Crisis in Indian Agriculture' -- Brainstorm discussion on Pragati 'Entry and Exit in Agriculture' -- Episode 1 of The Seen and the Unseen 'The Farmer Rolls the Dice' -- Episode 12 of The Seen and the Unseen 'The Unseen Effects of Farm Loan Waivers' -- Episode 25 of The Seen and the Unseen Down to Earth -- The collected writings of Sharad Joshi

Episode 85 of The Seen and the Unseen is about Demonetisation -- and a lot else. First, host Amit Varma launches into an angry monologue about how economic benefits can never justify moral costs. Then he is joined by economist Shruti Rajagopalan, who elaborates on all the things wrong with DeMon. They discuss the predatory Indian state, how Indians are forced into jugaad to cope with it, and that this jugaad might seem to be a good thing, but represents the enormous cost that all of us pay. **Also see**: 1. Most of Amit Varma's writing on DeMon, collected in one Twitter thread 2. 'Narendra Modi Takes a Great Leap Backwards' -- Amit Varma 3.'The Landscape of Freedom in India' -- Amit Varma 4.'The Humanitarian Cost Trumps Any Economic Argument' -- Amit Varma 5. 'What the RBI data on demonetization tells us' -- Shruti Rajagopalan 6. 'Demonetisation and Welfare' -- Shruti Rajagopalan and Larry White 7. 'Formalization of the economy is a form of coercion' -- Shruti Rajagopalan 8. Episode 2 of The Seen and the Unseen, on Demonetisation, with Suyash Rai 9. Episode 18 of The Seen and the Unseen, on restaurant regulations, with Madhu Menon

What is it like to grow up gay in a deeply homophobic country? Writer and stand-up comedian Navin Noronha joins Amit Varma in ep 84 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his experience of growing up gay in Bhayandar, and his insights from his podcast, Keeping it Queer. Also check out Keeping it Queer -- Navin Noronha's podcast How I Met My Daddy -- Navin Noronha The Matunga Racket -- 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/

India is a young country, and young Indians today are entitled and angry. Snigdha Poonam joins Amit Varma in episode 83 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the turmoil in small-town India. Also read: Snigdha's book, Dreamers: How Indians are Changing the World 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/

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is short-sighted, and does not achieve its purpose. Why? What can we do? Economist Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 82 of The Seen and the Unseen to break it all down. Also read India needs sewage systems, not free toilets -- Shruti Rajagopalan That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen -- Frédéric Bastiat The Use of Knowledge in Society -- Friedrich Hayek Public Choice: Politics Without Romance -- James Buchanan Where India Goes -- Diane Coffey and Dean Spears Why Are Our Cities So Messed Up -- ep 31 of The Seen and the Unseen How We Messed Up Our Caste Problem -- ep 52 of The Seen and the Unseen

How does China see its place in the world? What are its foreign policy objectives? Should India be worried? China expert Manoj Kewalramani(https://twitter.com/theChinaDude) joins Amit Varma(https://twitter.com/amitvarma) in episode 81 of The Seen and the Unseen. Also check out: Eye on China(https://www.thinkpragati.com/category/world/china/): Manoj Kewalramani's weekly column in Pragati. Inside Xi's China(http://takshashila.org.in/special-courses/): Takshashila's online course, conducted by Manoj. Understanding Foreign Policy(https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/4104/understanding-foreign-policy/): Episode 63 of The Seen and the Unseen. 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/

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/

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/

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/

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)

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/

"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

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/

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/

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/

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/

The internet was supposed to bring us all together -- but instead, is it driving us apart? Reddit moderator Nikhil,X joins Amit Varma in episode 70 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the changing shape of online conversations -- and society. Also check out: You're From The Mutton Lobby(https://www.thinkpragati.com/opinion/3079/youre-mutton-lobby/) - Amit Varma What We Talk About When We Talk About Politics(http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-politics/) - Amit Varma The Future of the Internet (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/4306/the-future-of-the-internet/) - Episode 65 of The Seen and the Unseen The Regulators Are Coming (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/4485/the-regulators-are-coming/) - Episode 68 of The Seen and the Unseen 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/

Donald Trump had two simple answers to everyone who complained about jobs in America. One: Immigrants are taking your jobs. Two: Your jobs are being shipped overseas. Trump was bullshitting. Gaurav Sabnis joins Amit Varma in episode 69 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why. Also check out: Facts Don't Matter. Stories do (http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/facts-dont-matter.-stories-do/) -- Amit Varma Ep.4 of The Seen and the Unseen: Immigration (http://www.seenunseen.in/episodes/2017/2/7/episode-4-immigration) Ep 59 of The Seen and the Unseen: The 8 Myths of Protectionism (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/3798/the-8-myths-of-protectionism/) 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/

The government of India recently broached the possibility of regulating online content -- even more than it already does. What does this mean for our freedoms. Nikhil Pahwa joins Amit Varma in episode 68 of The Seen and the Unseen. Check out the previous episodes where Amit had Nikhil Pahwa as a guest: Ep. 61: Aadhaar (http://ivmpodcasts.com/the-seen-and-the-unseen-episode-list/2018/3/26/ep-61-adhaar) Ep. 65: The Future of the Internet (http://ivmpodcasts.com/the-seen-and-the-unseen-episode-list/2018/4/23/ep-65-the-future-of-the-internet) 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/

This is an AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode, in which host Amit Varma answers questions from both in-studio guests and Twitter and Facebook users. 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/

What does our economy look like today? Vivek Kaul joins Amit Varma in episode 66 of The Seen and the Unseen, as they talk about Air India, cash shortages, the jobs crisis and other such miscellanea. Also check out Episode 56: The Age of Easy Money (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/3541/age-easy-money/) Episode 53: A Deep Dive into Pakodanomics(https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/3305/deep-dive-pakodanomics/) Episode 40: The State of the Economy(https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/2472/the-state-of-the-economy/) Episode 32: The DNA of the NPA (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/2061/the-dna-of-the-npa/) Episode 25: Farm Loan Waivers (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/1716/unseen-effects-farm-loan-waivers/) Episode 23: Public Sector Banks (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/1655/the-banks-of-india/) Episode 20: The Coming Jobs Crisis (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/1534/coming-jobs-crisis/) Episode 19: The Right to Education (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/1462/right-screw-education/) Episode 18: Restaurant Regulations (https://www.thinkpragati.com/podcast/the-seen-and-the-unseen/1421/give-bribe-youre-restaurant-man/) Episode 2: Demonetisation(http://www.seenunseen.in/episodes/2017/1/24/episode-2-demonetisation) 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/

The internet has empowered us all beyond belief -- but is there a flip side to this? Does it need to be regulated? Nikhil Pahwa and Amit Doshi have a lively conversation with Amit Varma in episode 65 of The Seen and the Unseen Also read: 'Facts. Don't. Matter' (http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/facts.-dont.-matter/) -- 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/

What does it mean to be free? What is the basis of individual rights? Episode 64 of The Seen and the Unseen is a rerun of an old episode of The Pragati Podcast, as Amit Varma tells Pavan Srinath what it means to be a libertarian, and why it all boils down to one word: Consent. 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/

We all have our own guidelines for how individuals should treat each other. But how should nations behave with other nations? Foreign Policy Realist Nitin Pai joins Libertarian Amit Varma to explain the evolution of foreign policy through the ages, and its imperatives today. 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/

India's judicial system is broken. How can we fix it? Legal expert Alok Prasanna Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 62 of The Seen and the Unseen. 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/

According to media commentator Nikhil Pahwa, Aadhaar is a subject on which "what we do will impact generations." Nikhil joins host Amit Varma on episode 61 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain how Aadhaar threatens our freedoms, and why we need to take it seriously. 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/

We take water for granted, but India might be entering a full-blown water crisis. Water evangelist Vishwanath S (https://twitter.com/zenrainman) joins Amit Varma in episode 60 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on this. 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/

Protectionism is on the rise across the world, which is bewildering, given how harmful it is. Economist Anupam Manur joins Amit Varma in episode 59 of The Seen and the Unseen to bust eight common myths about protectionism. 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/

As three recent cases show, misogyny exist not just in our outdated laws, but also in the minds of our lawmakers and the judiciary. Legal expert Madhav Chandavarkar and feminist Hamsini Hariharan join Amit Varma in episode 58 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss Triple Talaq, Hadiya and the Mahmood Farooqui case. 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/

There is turmoil in the Maldives, as a tyrant unfriendly to India cozies up to China. Do we need to intervene? Foreign policy expert Pranay Kotasthane joins Amit Varma to give his point of view in episode 57 of The Seen and the Unseen. 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/

The turbulence in the world economy today is enabled by the same phenomenon that caused the 2008 financial crisis, and was perversely also a response to that crisis: Easy Money. Vivek Kaul, author of the Easy Money trilogy, joins Amit Varma in episode 56 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain the damage irresponsible governments can do to the economy. 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/

It is important to always question received wisdom. In episode 55 of The Seen and the Unseen, libertarian thinker Yazad Jal joins Amit Varma to challenge the commonly held view on five subjects. Listen in and see if you agree with him. Also read: It is Daft to Worry About Inequality -- Amit Varma Why Children Labour -- Amit Varma The Price is Right -- 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/

The Budget presented by the government of India is an annual ritual that millions of people tune in to. What was the 2018 budget like? Pavan Srinath and Pranay Kotasthane, staff writers of Pragati, join Amit Varma to offer their quick analysis, and to supplement the budget coverage at Pragati. 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/

Narendra Modi famously invoked a pakoda seller last week when he spoke about job creation in India. How apt is that invocation? Columnist Vivek Kaul, who coined the term 'Pakodanomics', and economist Shruti Rajagopalan join Amit Varma in episode 53 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the prime minister, the pakoda seller and India's job problem. 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/

Modern India's greatest shame is that even after 70 years of Independence, we still haven't solved the problem of caste. Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 52 of the Seen and the Unseen to shed light on some of the ways in which we have messed up at an institutional level. 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/

The chess program Alpha Zero made waves recently when it taught itself chess in four hours -- and then thrashed the strongest chess engine in the world, Stockfish. This illustrated a dramatic advance in Artificial Intelligence. Devangshu Datta joins host Amit Varma in episode 51 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about its impact for both chess and AI. 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/

Indian politics is complex to the point of being almost unfathomable. JP Narayan, that rare public intellectual who also embraced electoral politics, joins Amit Varma in episode 50 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his learnings. 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/

Social media has enabled everyone to have a voice -- but no one listens any more. In episode 49 of The Seen and the Unseen, Amit Varma examines why our political discourse is so polarised. One particular bugbear of his is the tendency to shift the focus from the argument to the person, and he outlines a few different ways in which people personalise arguments. Also read: What We Talk About When We Talk About Politics The Facts Do Not Matter 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/

For almost two decades, V Ravichandar has been "a civic evangelist and a patron saint of lost causes" fighting to reform local government in our cities. He joins Amit Varma in episode 48 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the lessons he has learnt, and what keeps him going. 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/

Poker and stock markets are very similar -- and both holds lessons for life. Ace investor Mohit Satyanand joins former poker pro Amit Varma in episode 47 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how both disciplines reveal the flawed machinery of the human brain. 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/

We live in times when media is fragmented and there is no consensus on the truth any more. Journalism has become a race to give people what they want to believe. What are we to do? Prem Panicker joins Amit Varma in episode 46 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the State of the Media. 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/