Amit Varma’s Tweets

to learn more about Indian newsrooms and journalism (especially in light of the current Wire-Meta fiasco) but the first half of the conversation about life things is all heart! 💜

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Oct 17

What should a newsroom report on? Does journalism know its own purpose? Do we? What ethics should we live by, & why? @PySamarth joins me in episode 299 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about living the examined life & asking the fundamental questions: seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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Almost done with the episode. A couple of takeaways 1. Samarth Bansal is a prodigy. 2.

is the best conversationalist in the world. One more. 3. Yeh 29 saal mein itna gyan kaha se aaya. #respect and inspiring.

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Samarth Bansal

I'm grateful to get the chance to appear on @amitvarma's podcast: we talked about childhood & adulting, Delhi & hills, IIT & journalism, journalling & reflecting, writing & learning, ethics & principles, wants & desires, power & freedom. It was so fun! :) seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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My latest newsletter about Pondy, Auroville, and more!🌻 ilareddy.substack.com/p/pondy

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12. Bottomline: The Wire fiasco has little to do with a lack of technical expertise. This is an editorial failure where the newsroom forgot standard journalistic practices: from inadequate sourcing to lack of corroboration to careless oversight.

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What should a newsroom report on? Does journalism know its own purpose? Do we? What ethics should we live by, & why?

joins me in episode 299 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about living the examined life & asking the fundamental questions:

Episode 299: The Reflections of Samarth Bansal | The Seen and the Unseen

What should a newsroom report on? Does journalism know its own purpose? Do we? What ethics should we live by, and why? Samarth Bansal joins Amit Varma in episode 299…

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Oct 19

And while on Narasimha Rao, my episode on him with Vinay Sitapati was one of my sleeper hits this year. Do listen!

Episode 283: The Forgotten Greatness of PV Narasimha Rao | The Seen and the Unseen

If leaders are to be judged by their actions, PV Narasimha Rao was our tallest leader. Vinay Sitapati joins Amit Varma in episode 283 of The Seen and the Unseen to…

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I'm glad that INC *finally* conducted internal elections and have a non-Gandhi president. From all accounts,

@kharge

is an accomplished man, & we should not underestimate him the way Narasimha Rao was once underestimated, & even demonised. Fingers crossed.

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So many lovely ideas in this ep (I might be biased, cause I love talking to Samarth), but I will highlight one. The diff b/w news and journalism - news tells you what happened (reporting on events), journalism is about truth seeking (reporting about systems).

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Samarth Bansal

I'm grateful to get the chance to appear on @amitvarma's podcast: we talked about childhood & adulting, Delhi & hills, IIT & journalism, journalling & reflecting, writing & learning, ethics & principles, wants & desires, power & freedom. It was so fun! :) seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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My latest episode of The Seen and the Unseen was recorded in August, and

& I could not have imagined that the bit about Indian media -- and the Wire -- would be so relevant now! twitter.com/PySamarth/stat We also spoke about a lot else. Such a rewarding conversation!

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Samarth Bansal

The Wire's Tek Fog Investigation: A futile search for evidence

I'm grateful to get the chance to appear on @amitvarma's podcast: we talked about childhood & adulting, Delhi & hills, IIT & journalism, journalling & reflecting, writing & learning, ethics & principles, wants & desires, power & freedom. It was so fun! :) seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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The Wire—as an institution—dismissed my critique of their Tek Fog reporting. No internal reflection, no lessons learnt, no accountability. So not surprised with what we learnt today. Good journalism is an outcome of good process. Please follow it.

theinterval.co

The failures in this reporting—despite best intentions—point to a critical, underlying problem with Indian journalism today.

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This is a very sharp take by

on The Wire/Meta imbroglio.

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Don't choose tribalism over principles. That's the lesson we should draw from the Wire's fiasco. My latest newsletter post: indiauncut.substack.com/p/18-dont-choo

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Via

, this take on the Meta/Wire mess, and a larger point about the dangers of tribalism.

#18: Don't Choose Tribalism Over Principles

This is where the Wire messed up and Kavita Krishnan didn't

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Don't choose tribalism over principles. That's the lesson we should draw from the Wire's fiasco. My latest newsletter post:

#18: Don't Choose Tribalism Over Principles

This is where the Wire messed up and Kavita Krishnan didn't

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Don't choose tribalism over principles. That's the lesson we should draw from the Wire's fiasco. My latest newsletter post:

#18: Don't Choose Tribalism Over Principles

This is where the Wire messed up and Kavita Krishnan didn't

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Almost every damn space on this planet is run by men and it shows so often.

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Erin Law

@erinplaw

Oct 17

I have a story about MENSTRUATION. Specifically my menstruation. Which is not in itself a special thing because like many people on earth I BLEED. But it’s special because it happened in Istanbul’s International Airport @igairport Also I’m pretty angry. 1/

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I'm grateful to get the chance to appear on

's podcast: we talked about childhood & adulting, Delhi & hills, IIT & journalism, journalling & reflecting, writing & learning, ethics & principles, wants & desires, power & freedom. It was so fun! :)

Episode 299: The Reflections of Samarth Bansal | The Seen and the Unseen

What should a newsroom report on? Does journalism know its own purpose? Do we? What ethics should we live by, and why? Samarth Bansal joins Amit Varma in episode 299…

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Another beautiful conversation borrowed from the TSATU human library. And a perfect balance between the personal and the academic. Now I wish I had a namesake who was an acclaimed singer. Also, a gem from the episode - if you don't have enough dots, a horse can look like a chair.

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Oct 16

She digs deep into data about caste and gender -- and she sings and laughs and lives life to the full. How dare someone who does such important work also have a such a good time. Wtf!

In what is left of this weekend, listen to @AshwDeshpande! seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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Oct 17

What should a newsroom report on? Does journalism know its own purpose? Do we? What ethics should we live by, & why?

joins me in episode 299 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about living the examined life & asking the fundamental questions:

Episode 299: The Reflections of Samarth Bansal | The Seen and the Unseen

What should a newsroom report on? Does journalism know its own purpose? Do we? What ethics should we live by, and why? Samarth Bansal joins Amit Varma in episode 299…

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Oct 16

Meanwhile, here's an old post on why The Seen and the Unseen moved towards five-hour episodes: indiauncut.substack.com/p/9-why-are-my Even without the oral-history factor, even without accounting for the value of the show as a repository, the podcast does damn well *in these current times.*

#9: Why Are My Episodes so Long?

And why that won't change

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Great piece by

-- and the data confirms what I've been saying for a long time: People. Crave. Depth. tedgioia.substack.com/p/has-the-inte I would add that raw hits or views are a bad metric. What matters is the depth of engagement.

tedgioia.substack.com

Has the Internet Reached Peak Clickability?

Chasing swipes and clicks is now a losing strategy—the rising stars on the web have found a way to create a higher level of engagement.

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She digs deep into data about caste and gender -- and she sings and laughs and lives life to the full. How dare someone who does such important work also have a such a good time. Wtf! 😯🫢👏 In what is left of this weekend, listen to

!

Episode 298: The Life and Work of Ashwini Deshpande | The Seen and the Unseen

Her pioneering work has helped us understand how caste and gender remain huge problems in India. But her past goes beyond numbers, into a rich history of aajobas and…

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podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6L

The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma - Ep 296: Caste, Capitalism and Chandra Bhan Prasad

another power packed session and such an eye opener on casteism.. we are indeed several republics within our republic... Still trying to wrap my head around some of the revelations

podcasts.google.com

The evil of caste will be solved not by deliverance from up top but empowerment from down below. Dalit scholar and writer Chandra Bhan Prasad joins Amit Varma in episode 296 of The Seen and the...

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Replying to

and

Few guests have worn their erudition and accomplishments so affably — the bit about the newspaper reaching out to (the wrong) Ashwini Bhide Deshpande (but of course both Ms. Deshpandes are always the right ones) to write an article on women in the workforce cracked me up!

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wow just wow!!! I did not expect that to hit me the way it did. Kudos!!!

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Oct 14

This week on Windowpane, @vinoy takes us on a road trip with, um, an unusual end! windowpane.substack.com/p/homeward-bou Many things to like about this piece!

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There are two good reasons to hang out with

. Boring reason: You'll learn important things about our country. Non-boring reason: You'll have a blast. There will be music, film, theater -- and there will be singing! Listen in:

Episode 298: The Life and Work of Ashwini Deshpande | The Seen and the Unseen

Her pioneering work has helped us understand how caste and gender remain huge problems in India. But her past goes beyond numbers, into a rich history of aajobas and…

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Homeward Bound With Grandma

Oct 14

This week on Windowpane,

@vinoy

takes us on a road trip with, um, an unusual end! windowpane.substack.com/p/homeward-bou Many things to like about this piece!

windowpane.substack.com

Vinoy Vijayan takes us on a road trip

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Whenever I'm a certain kind of mood, I read Mark Strand.

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Good lord, what a gorgeous poem! 🙏

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Ila Reddy

@ilareddy

If I Had Three Lives by Sarah Russell

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Wow!! This episode grows on you with time, and so does respect for

@cbhanp

's intellect and clarity of thought 🙏🏼 This must be

's 'least-airtime-consumed-personally' episode. He must've been listening in awe too! Must-listen!! 👌🏼 Thank you,

@cbhanp

sir 🙏🏼🙏🏼

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Sep 26

The most effective cure for caste is not top-down patronage but bottom-up capitalism. Chandra Bhan Prasad (@cbhanp) joins me in episode 296 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why his two great heroes are Babasheb Ambedkar & Adam Smith: seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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He's being generous with OUR money.

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Press Trust of India

@PTI_News

I am pleased to announce gifts worth several thousand crores to Himachal before Dhanteras and Diwali: PM Modi in Una

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Loving listening to this episode on

from one of my favorite podcasts. She is a top scholar on gender and caste whom I was fortunate to have as my teacher at DSE. And it was heartening that Govinda(yes you heard it right) finds a place in this chat 😁

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Oct 10

Her pioneering work on caste & gender helps us understand our society better. And she's also lived a rich life, shaped by ajobs & ajis & theatre & song. @AshwDeshpande joins me in episode 298 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life & work: seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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Oct 12

There are two good reasons to hang out with

. Boring reason: You'll learn important things about our country. Non-boring reason: You'll have a blast. There will be music, film, theater -- and there will be singing! Listen in:

Episode 298: The Life and Work of Ashwini Deshpande | The Seen and the Unseen

Her pioneering work has helped us understand how caste and gender remain huge problems in India. But her past goes beyond numbers, into a rich history of aajobas and…

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🎧 | Listen to

experts' favorite foreign policy podcasts. ⭐

@franceszbrown

recommends

@DemParadox

's series on democracy in hard places. ⭐

@MilanV

recommends

The Best Foreign Policy Podcasts

's The Seen and the Unseen for all things India. Read here for more:

carnegieendowment.org

Carnegie experts share their audio favorites for keeping up on news, debates, and trends in international affairs.

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This was a fun, candid, spontaneous, free flowing (long!) conversation in the hallmark #TSATU style. Thank you

! (PS: younger listeners: the Mrs. G references are to Indira Gandhi 😁).

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Oct 10

Her pioneering work on caste & gender helps us understand our society better. And she's also lived a rich life, shaped by ajobs & ajis & theatre & song. @AshwDeshpande joins me in episode 298 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life & work: seenunseen.in/episodes/2022/

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I'm loving doing the art for The Seen and the Unseen.