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The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

By: Amit Varma
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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.All Rights Reserved Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Ep 447: Rahul Ahluwalia Fights for Growth and Freedom

    Ep 447: Rahul Ahluwalia Fights for Growth and Freedom
    Jun 29 2026
    Eight decades after independence, India still isn't free. Rahul Ahluwalia joins Amit Varma in episode 447 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why economic growth has such a positive humanitarian impact -- and freedom lies at its heart. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Rahul Ahluwalia on Twitter, LinkedIn and FED. 2. Foundation for Economic Development. 3. Growth is Good -- Rahul Ahluwalia's podcast at FED. 4. Deepak VS and the Man Behind His Face — Episode 373 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Swaminathan Aiyar's columns at ToI and his own website. 6. Gurcharan Das's columns at ToI and his own website. 7. India Unbound — Gurcharan Das. 8. The Life and Times of Gurcharan Das — Episode 425 of The Seen and the Unseen. 9. The Importance of the 1991 Reforms — Episode 237 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan and Ajay Shah). 10. The Life and Times of Montek Singh Ahluwalia — Episode 285 of The Seen and the Unseen. 11. The Forgotten Greatness of PV Narasimha Rao — Episode 283 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vinay Sitapati). 12. Naushad Forbes Wants to Fix India — Episode 282 of The Seen and the Unseen. 13. The Life and Times of KP Krishnan — Episode 355 of The Seen and the Unseen. 14. Lant Pritchett Is on Team Prosperity — Episode 379 of The Seen and the Unseen. 15. The Life and Times of the Indian Economy -- Episode 387 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rajeswari Sengupta). 16. Why Freedom Matters — Episode 10 of Everything is Everything. 17. The Reformers — Episode 28 of Everything is Everything. 18. India’s Massive Pensions Crisis — Episode 347 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ajay Shah & Renuka Sane). 19. The Tragedy of Our Farm Bills — Episode 211 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Ajay Shah). 20. The 1991 Project. 21. Stay Away From Luxury Beliefs -- Episode 46 of Everything is Everything. 22. Gig Work is AWESOME! -- Episode 124 of Everything is Everything. 23. Reading Lolita in Tehran -- Azar Nafisi. 24. India’s Problem is Poverty, Not Inequality -- Amit Varma. 25. A Venture Capitalist Looks at the World — Episode 213 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Sajith Pai). 26. Public Choice Theory Explains SO MUCH -- Episode 33 of Everything is Everything. 27. Population Is Not a Problem, but Our Greatest Strength -- Amit Varma. 28. The short history of global living conditions and why it matters that we know it -- Max Roser. 29. The Florentines -- Paul Strathern. 30. National output without government? State capacity and welfare measurement -- Vincent Geloso and Chandler Reilly. 31. Atlas Shrugged -- Ayn Rand. 32. The Wealth of Nations -- Adam Smith. 33. Understanding the State -- Episode 25 of Everything is Everything. 34. Every Act of Government Is an Act of Violence -- Amit Varma. 35. Economic growth is enough and only economic growth is enough — Lant Pritchett with Addison Lewis. 36. Where Has All the Education Gone? — Lant Pritchett. 37. Looking like a state: The seduction of isomorphic mimicry -- Matt Andrews, Lant Pritchett and Michael Woolcock. 38. Sixteen Stormy Days — Tripurdaman Singh. 39. The First Assault on Our Constitution — Episode 194 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tripurdaman Singh). 40. Nehru: The Debates that Defined India — Tripurdaman Singh and Adeel Hussain. 41. Nehru’s Debates — Episode 262 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tripurdaman Singh and Adeel Hussain). 42. The Right to Property — Episode 26 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan). 43. Caged Tiger: How Too Much Government Is Holding Indians Back — Subhashish Bhadra. 44. Subhashish Bhadra on Our Dysfunctional State — Episode 333 of The Seen and the Unseen. 45. Colours of the Cage: A Prison Memoir — Arun Ferreira. 46. Shikha Dalmia Is the Unpopulist -- Episode 403 of The Seen and the Unseen. 47. DeMon, Morality and the Predatory Indian State — Episode 85 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan). 48. Narendra Modi Takes a Great Leap Backwards — Amit Varma. 49. Horseshoe Theory and the Median Voter Theorem. 50. Government’s End: Why Washington Stopped Working — Jonathan Rauch. 51. Denial: My 25 Years Without a Soul -- Jonathan Rauch. 52. The Logic of Collective Action -- Mancur Olson. 53. Anarchy, State and Utopia — Robert Nozick. 54. A Theory of Justice — John Rawls. 55. India After Gandhi — Ramachandra Guha. 56. Arguments for Liberty -- Edited by Aaron Ross Powell and Grant Babcock. 57. Johan Norberg on Amazon and YouTube. 58. State Building -- Francis Fukuyama. 59. India Needs Decentralization -- Episode 47 of Everything is Everything. 60. Fixing Indian Education — Episode 185 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Karthik Muralidharan). 61. Education in India — Episode 77 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Amit Chandra). 62. The Profit Motive in Education — Episode 9 of The Seen and the Unseen (...
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    4 hrs and 52 mins
  • Ep 446: The Joyful Agency of Luis Miranda

    Ep 446: The Joyful Agency of Luis Miranda
    Jun 15 2026
    After a successful career as a banker, he decided to devote himself to making his country better off. Luis Miranda joins Amit Varma in episode 446 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss banking, India, education, healthcare, parenthood and the joy of working. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Luis Miranda on LinkedIn, Twitter, ISPP, CCS, Forbes and his own website. 2. The Indian School of Public Policy. 3. Centre for Universal Health Assurance. 4. HDFC Bank 2.0 -- Tamal Bandyopadhyay. 5. Gautam John is Figuring it Out — Episode 437 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. Testaments Betrayed — Milan Kundera. 7. The Rooted Cosmopolitanism of Sugata Srinivasaraju — Episode 277 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. The Case For India -- Will Durant. 9. The Life and Times of Gurcharan Das — Episode 425 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Where Has All the Education Gone? — Lant Pritchett. 11. Lant Pritchett Is on Team Prosperity — Episode 379 of The Seen and the Unseen. 12. Fixing Indian Education — Episode 185 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Karthik Muralidharan). 13. A Deep Dive Into Education — Episode 54 of Everything is Everything. 14. Biju Rao Won’t Bow to Conventional Wisdom — Episode 392 of The Seen and the Unseen. 15. Can Economics Become More Reflexive? — Vijayendra Rao. 16. Fund Schooling, Not Schools (2007) — Amit Varma. 17. Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar — Rohini Nilekani. 18. Rohini Nilekani Pays It Forward — Episode 317 of The Seen and the Unseen. 19. The Closing of the American Mind -- Allan Bloom. 20. The Armchair Economist -- Steven Landsburg. 21. The Importance of the 1991 Reforms — Episode 237 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan and Ajay Shah). 22. The Life and Times of Montek Singh Ahluwalia — Episode 285 of The Seen and the Unseen. 23. The Forgotten Greatness of PV Narasimha Rao — Episode 283 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vinay Sitapati). 24. Why Freedom Matters -- Episode 10 of Everything is Everything. 25. The Reformers -- Episode 28 of Everything is Everything. 26. The 1991 Project. 27. Indian Liberals. 28. Sixteen Stormy Days — Tripurdaman Singh. 29. The First Assault on Our Constitution — Episode 194 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tripurdaman Singh). 30. Nehru: The Debates that Defined India — Tripurdaman Singh and Adeel Hussain. 31. Nehru’s Debates — Episode 262 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tripurdaman Singh and Adeel Hussain). 32. Shruti Rajagopalan’s YouTube talk on constitutional amendments. 33. Saving Capitalism From The Capitalists — Raghuram Rajan and Luigi Zingales. 34. India After Gandhi — Ramachandra Guha. 35. Luxury Beliefs. 36. Stay Away From Luxury Beliefs — Episode 46 of Everything is Everything. 37. On Inequality — Harry Frankfurt. 38. India’s Problem is Poverty, Not Inequality — Amit Varma. 39. On Bullshit — Harry G Frankfurt. 40. Economic growth is enough and only economic growth is enough — Lant Pritchett with Addison Lewis. 41. Pandemonium in India’s Banks — Episode 212 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tamal Bandyopadhyay.) 42. The Innovator’s Dilemma — Clayton Christensen. 43. The Evolution of Everything — Matt Ridley. 44. The Evolution of Everything — Episode 96 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Matt Ridley). 45. The Nature of the Firm -- Ronald Coase. 46. Naval Ravikant on the size of a firm. 47. Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities — Alain Bertaud. 48. The Surface Area of Serendipity — Episode 39 of Everything is Everything. 49. The Luck Factor: The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind -- Richard Wiseman. 50. Fire Bird -- Perumal Murugan. 51. Billion Readers. 52. Factfulness -- Hans Rosling. 53. The Better Angels of Our Nature -- Steven Pinker. 54. The Progress of Humanity -- Episode 101 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Steven Pinker). 55. Capitalisn't -- Podcast by Luigi Zingales and Bethany McLean. 56. Is a River Alive? -- Robert Macfarlane. 57. Black Butterflies -- Priscilla Morris. 58. General Brasstacks -- Probal DasGupta. 59. In Praise of Floods — James C Scott. This episode is sponsored by CTQ Compounds. Check out The Daily Reader and FutureStack. Use the code UNSEEN for Rs 2500 off. Amit Varma runs a course called Life Lessons, which aims to be a launchpad towards learning essential life skills all of you need. For more details, and to sign up, click here. And have you read Amit’s newsletter? It's madly active right now! Subscribe right away to The India Uncut Newsletter! It’s free! Also check out Amit’s online course, The Art of Clear Writing. Episode art: ‘Stay Alive’ by Simahina.
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    5 hrs and 20 mins
  • Ep 445: 'I Am Saloni and I Like Collecting Mice'

    Ep 445: 'I Am Saloni and I Like Collecting Mice'
    Jun 1 2026
    She's one of the best writers on science today, combining optimism about progress with a realist understanding of the messiness of our world. Saloni Dattani joins Amit Varma in episode 445 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss science, medicine, data, academia and how to make the world a better place. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Saloni Dattani at Google Scholar, Twitter, LinkedIn, Our World in Data and Works in Progress. 2. Scientific Discovery -- Saloni Dattani's newsletter. 3. Hard Drugs -- Saloni Dattani's podcast. 4. Saloni's guide to data visualization -- Saloni Dattani. 5. Four charts to understand causes of death across the lifespan -- Saloni Dattani. 6. What I've learnt about writing -- Saloni Dattani. 7. In praise of the Covid superforecasters -- Saloni Dattani. 8. The decline in cancer mortality is about much more than smoking -- Saloni Dattani. 9. Death rates from cardiovascular disease have fallen dramatically — what were the breakthroughs behind this? -- Saloni Dattani. 10. The golden age of vaccine development -- Saloni Dattani. 11. Why we didn’t get a malaria vaccine sooner -- Saloni Dattani. 12. The first cancer vaccine -- Transcript of a Hard Drugs episode. 13. Measles vaccines save millions of lives each year -- Saloni Dattani. 14. Why the total fertility rate doesn’t necessarily tell us the number of births women eventually have -- Saloni Dattani. 15. The rise in reported maternal mortality rates in the US is largely due to a change in measurement -- Saloni Dattani. 16. How do global statistics on suicide differ between sources? -- Saloni Dattani. 17. How many people die from snakebites? -- Saloni Dattani. 18. The Demographic and Health Surveys brought crucial data for more than 90 countries — without them, we risk darkness -- Saloni Dattani. 19. We don't have to sit back and just watch the horror unfold -- Saloni Dattani. 20. Childhood leukemia: how a deadly cancer became treatable -- Saloni Dattani. 21. Will AI solve medicine? -- Transcript of a Hard Drugs episode. 22. Real peer review has never been tried -- Saloni Dattani. 23. The speed of science -- Saloni Dattani. 24. Medical breakthroughs in 2025 -- Saloni Dattani. 25. Scientific progress is at risk of slowing down. Saloni Dattani is making sure it doesn’t. -- Miranda Dixon-Luinenburg. 26. Innovation is not linear -- Jason Crawford. 27. Genentech: The Beginnings of Biotech -- Sally Smith Hughes. 28. Missing Markets for Innovation: Evidence from New Uses for Existing Drugs -- Eric Budish, Maya Durvasula, Benjamin Roin and Heidi Williams. 29. The 100% CI. 30. Superforecasting — Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner. 31. How Long Do We Wait for New Inventions? -- Brian Potter. 32. Million Dollar Secret. 33. Woolly mice designed to engineer mammoth-like elephants -- Pallab Ghosh. 34. Age of Invention -- Anton Hause. 35. Million Death Study. 36. Science Fictions -- Stuart Ritchie. 37. Outliers -- Malcolm Gladwell. 38. Episodes of The Seen and the Unseen with Rukmini S: 1, 2, 3. 39. Fortress and Frontier in American Health Care — Robert Graboyes. 40. Strong Medicine -- Michael Kremer and Rachel Glennerster. 41. The Practice of Medicine — Episode 229 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Lancelot Pinto). 42. Project Resource Optimization. 43. Giving What We Can. 44. Coefficient Giving. 45. 1493 -- Charles Mann. 46. The Collapse -- Mary Elise Sarotte. 47. How to Survive a Plague -- David France. 48. The Mole. 49. And the Band Played On -- Randy Shilts. This episode is sponsored by The Six Percent Club. Join them to go from content idea to launch in just 45 days! Amit Varma runs a course called Life Lessons, which aims to be a launchpad towards learning essential life skills all of you need. For more details, and to sign up, click here. And have you read Amit’s newsletter? Subscribe right away to The India Uncut Newsletter! It’s free! Also check out Amit’s online course, The Art of Clear Writing. Episode art: ‘Salonium’ by Simahina.
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    4 hrs and 27 mins
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