The Seen and The Unseen
I have been listening to podcasts for a few years now. Most of the podcasts I listen to are (unsurprisingly) tech-related. However, slowly, my podcast feed has been growing for the last year or so, with new feeds that focus on politics, economics and current affairs. As my schedule gets more streamlined, I listen to more podcast episodes every week. It makes a lot of sense to listen to them while I’m doing chores or while I’m commuting. (If you use iOS and listen to podcasts, go, try Overcast if you don’t know about it already. It is the best podcast player out there.)
One of the podcasts that I have been most looking forward to lately, has been ‘The Seen and The Unseen’ hosted by Amit Varma. The show is set at the intersection of politics, social science and economics, in the Indian context. The guests focus on statistical evidence, facts and historical significance, and how they lend voice to their opinions. With every episode, I learn new things, understand old topics better, and am usually riveted throughout the episode.
Some noteworthy episodes that I have heard recently:
- Episode 116: India’s Lost Decade: A discussion about financial mismanagement during 2009-2019 that has left India’s economy in such a slow growth period.
- Episode 115: The Intellectual Foundations of Hindutva: A trace of the roots, growth and rise of RSS and the Hindutva ideology, from someone who once was a believer.
- Episode 119: Modi’s Lost Opportunity: One of the lesser-known (to me) spokespeople from Congress, Salman Soz, talks about the good, bad and ugly during 2014-2019. Extremely fair and unbiased. His take on dynasty politics was particularly realistic.
I highly recommend everyone who enjoys a smart conversation on important, controversial, difficult subjects to listen to it. Even if you don’t agree to it, it will make you rethink and re-assert your opinions, with more information at your disposal.