I wish this podcast has been recommended to me early in my life. breadth and depth in each topic has made me look at the world in multitudes of life and perspectives. I am a physics guy and always looked at world from that perspective (like there is one reality and that is described by laws of physics objectively where as complexity of human life, religion and many more disciplines don’t fit in that picture. I never thought why this other disciplines are there in the first place when there is only one way to understand universe) and other perspectives sort of left out in my worldview till I found this podcast. I always heard what open to ideas means but never felt the meaning of it till now. The world has opened to me and I am ready to take a deep dive in this sea of knowledge, perspective and kindness. Thank you Amit Varma for introducing me to different views.

I adore this podcast - so many hours of wholesome, edifying, interesting, thought provoking, candid, honest, challenging, downright funny, and basically *human* conversations. Thank you for the long form. Thank you for giving people time to actually SAY what they are trying to say. Thank you for honouring them and us, the listeners, with the dignity of truly listening in ways the world seldom offers any more. Thank you for this podcast.

Amit Varma redefines the podcast experience. He is both intelligent and able to touch humanity from the inside—which is a rarity. And his voice remains with you.

This is truly one of a kind of podcast from India. Amit is a really smart guy and I have definitely learned a lot from him. He brought a lot of intellectual nuance to his arguments. But as the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns goes, the podcast became more and more of a circle joke, something Mr. Varma often attributes to Academia. He often criticized people for having only one worldview and force-fitting everything into it. And then he forces his market-fundamentalist values onto every topic. It became something of a joke that all the fancy new topics on discussion among American Right are also the points that Mr. Varma references. He takes their grievances and supplants them into the Indian context. Luxury Beliefs are what he actually espouses. I want to ask Amit what has happened to America that went down the Friedman-Hayek road of market worship. The show works when the guests talk. It gets repetitive and annoying when Varma interjects and juxtaposes his opinions onto his guests.

Always interesting to listen to - sometimes just parts and sometimes the whole thing at double speed

I enjoy English language podcasts from countries that I know something about, and have lived and worked in (India and the Philippines), so Amit Varma’s podcast was one that I had leisurely dipped in and out of for years. But his extraordinary self-indulgence ((some episodes four hours long with little of relevance to the topic being discussed) has put me off. My real reason for the low ratings was the constant undertow of a weird kind of modem Indian intellectualism: the constant references to Hayek and libertarianism as if it was a new religion of which Varma was some kind of Indian apostle, the boringly repetitive Whitmanesque line that we have multitudes within us..,,enough!

Found this my happen stants. What a beautiful listen. Allowing each peron to speak their point of view without interruption. An in depth understanding of todays society. I am an Indian living in US who crave to find a way to connect with home that relates. I find that this is a mordern India that I connects with. This is a refreshing podcast. Thank you.

If you grew up in India, you will find Amit’s podcast the best there is. If you want to get an exposure to what India is like try this podcast. Start listening in normal speed and as you get used to it gradually increase the speed.

I am an avid podcast listener (long drives to work etc), and have listened to a bunch of podcasters across the spectrum, including some of the best in the business such as Ezra Klein and Ira Glass. However, Amit’s unique ability to dig deep in these ostensibly meandering conversations with these amazing guests is unparalleled. While his guest do tend to be mostly liberal and somewhat left of center for obvious reasons, I would love to see him occasionally bring in folks from the right, including people like Vikram Sampath and Bibek Debroy. Thank you once again for introducing me to some phenomenal people from the subcontinent.

This show has gone downhill. Most guests these days are just people part of the “inner circle” who spend half the show talking about how important their parents/families were. Amit asks them questions that they aren’t qualified to answer and they do a terrific job of pretending they know what they’re talking about. Amit himself clumsily juggles between being a libertarian while also pandering to his left-leaning audience. His libertarian schtick is also getting pretty tiring. He needs to stop interrupting with the same clichéd take “the government is evil with its monopoly on violence”. The only recent guest who is worth listening to is Karthik Muralidharan.

I have been listening to Amit for more than a year now. I have practically listened to all his podcasts. I enjoyed, almost all some more than others. I would like to point out one thing to him that’s bothering me a bit lately is he rarely ask author specifically about the book he/she has written. Their background, upbringing, processes etc are interesting but I want to get a gist of the book. May be learn something that author left out of the book. I miss these in his communication with the author. Otherwise keep doing what you are doing. Really enjoy your podcasts and look forward to listening it every Monday morning here on the other side of the world! Thank you!

Extremely rich conversation, long but listen at 1.5 X or 2 X and you will be able to finish it faster 😀 the podcast is done with a certain intellectual depth and is extremely conversational.

I love long podcasts and this is the perfect one

Excellent show. Love it when guests talk more, and the host pontificates less (especially about his elitism. But wonderful to hear long form discussions. Keep it up

I listen to the seen and the unseen during commute at 1.2X speed and is one of the best podcast. It helps to frame structure and opinion against the latest political and social topics.

This podcast has been a real source of learning for me over the last couple of years. The breadth of topics and guests coupled with the depth of conversation is simply unparalleled. Thank you Amit Varma for this fantastic series.

I have enjoyed listening to many guests on your show& the path that has helped them work on social issues in different situations. Good questions from the host!

This is the podcast equivalent of a research paper or a scholarly article in a serious publication. It’s very long, filled with great data and always informative. Amit Verma amazes me with his depth and breadth of knowledge on diverse topics. His own life journey as a sports writer, advertising guy, early blogger, professional poker player etc. is a testament to his hyper curious, intellectual pursuit of all things seen and unseen! What makes this podcast very interesting is Amit’s ability to articulate complex thoughts and frame the discussion to both accentuate and simplify complex ideas and policies in the field of economics, politics and social sciences. His guests are clearly at ease and they are given the space to elaborate and explore. Amit’s questions can sometimes be about 5 minutes long and filled with examples and anecdotes, which can sometimes seem a tad frustrating, but it always has the effect of preparing the guest for a thoughtful response. Among the episodes I have heard, it’s clear that the guests are very engaged and open. The only criticism I have is perhaps the digressions sometimes can be meandering and there’s often too much emphasis on obscure books and quotes that don’t add to the experience. If these were edited out, you could have a tighter and buttoned down 2 hour episode versus 4… But like any good research publication, these episodes are not intended to be consumed in one sitting or casually, so the (extra) long form could be justified :)

Very well researched, well produced. It’s a must listen for anyone who wants to understand this ancient and complicated land called India.

The podcast covers the most important economic topics in a very well researched, very engaging manner. If edited to under 1 hr., id give it 5 stars. The initial chit chat is way too long.

This podcast has taught me so much about India and about economics!

I loved listening to your Podcast.(Adman) you are fantastic! How do I buy a cup of coffee?

Amit, I love your show and would like to contribute. I am based in the US. Do you accept Venmo for that coffee or lunch? Would you mention in your next show how international listeners can contribute?

This podcast has the much needed quality of deep diving on issues that cannot be described in a tweet, headline or hashtag. While Amit might digress into wider discussions, I’ve seen improvement in recent episodes where the topic is adhered to more consciously. Finally, thank you for throwing light on the fact that incentives matter. PS: Amit Varma’s voice sounds like Arnab Goswami’s when he (Arnab) speaks calmly🤣

Varma has unfortunately right-wing views on economics, but he (a) gets very informative guests and (b) has the intellectual humility to know when someone knows more and is more interesting than him – a level of self-awareness unfortunately too rare in today’s media environment –while also having the interviewing skill to get his guests to say something that you want to listen to. Very worthwhile podcast overall that has significantly improved since its early days.

I absolutely love listening to the Seen and the Unseen! Every episode, I walk away learning something new, having a more nuanced perspective on the topics presented and feeling smarter! :) There are a lot of heavily US based behavioural economics books, podcasts plus research out there, but I love the fact that this podcast is so India centric (for the most part) and makes it so accessible. It has added a lot more depth and breath to the narratives I consume. Keep ‘em coming!

I just finished listening to the interview with Manu Pillai. What a treat! The 2.30 hour interview felt like a great movie. Kudos to both. One of my favorites that I intend listen many times. Hopefully will get a chance to read the book as well. Very interesting history recap and a lesson to those who think past was all greatness galore.

Not that you have asked me this question of what I am most hopeful about and what do I despair most about but I will answer this question. The fact that there is a voice like Amit Verma’s out there and accessible to 1.4 billion people is a reason for hope. The fact that there is only one Amit Verma And potion of millions of other voices is a reason for despair. Great podcast!

Well researched and intelligent to tickle your grey cells.

Hey loved your podcast. I think the biggest assets of the program are the adequately researched topics and sincere questions been raised and discussed. Specially loved the episode where you interviewed Snigda Poonam and all episodes on DeMon. Keep up the good work.

I am unsure how I discovered this like a year ago but I am glad to find this quality podcast taking about Indian policies. Through the long list of episodes, which is clearly libertarian leaning, I have grown a more nuanced perspective in a country where state intervention is not just present in most spheres but increasingly asked for from the general populace. The hard left rhetorics that we are exposed to could make you throw away the ideas discussed here as junk but hang on just a little bit longer. For the show runners, I think this is where they could make more effort. They talk about what is wrong with current policies but are shallow in taking about the right leaning policies. This if done well could really kindle people to think more deeply and that is what I am expecting as a listener.

Hey! Just wanted to stop by and applaud the podcast. Excellent content. Thank you for sharing all this information about issues that are fundamental to our country. So intriguing.

Super interesting, thought provoking and desperately needed in these times. A must listen!