Everything is Everything

Cycling is physically one of the most gruelling sports in the world -- and it requires as much of the mind as of the body. Welcome to Episode 53 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit explains his passion for cycling by telling us how the sport works. Amit and Ajay discuss the kinds of races and the kinds of racers. They discuss why...

We love chess -- and now, as it has exploded as a spectator sport, so do millions of others. But why do we love it so much? What does it mean for India that D Gukesh has qualified for the World Championship match? How did Vishy Anand inspire a generation of grandmasters to emerge? What role do computers play? Welcome to Episode 52 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma...

We have normalized lines on maps -- but they are unnatural to the way we live. They are toxic in the ways they push us to think of people in categories decided by the accidents of geography and politics. We must free our minds. We must tear down these walls. Welcome to Episode 51 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show...

Hooray! We've reached episode 50, and it's time for an AMA. In this episode, Amit and Ajay answer questions from gentle readers that were solicited through Twitter and elsewhere. No holds barred, straight from the heart! This episode was first published on YouTube on June 7, 2024. For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here .

Podcasting is such an exciting medium. Would YOU like to start a podcast? Do you have questions about first principles & what you need to get started? Here's our attempt at a podcasting masterclass! Welcome to Episode 49 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma & Ajay Shah. Started in 2017, The Seen and the Unseen went against conventional wisdom & built u...

In these insular times of shrill nationalistic rhetoric, there is a danger that we may become less globalised instead of more. But internationalisation (aka I18N) is key to India's progress. The more Indian firms learn to compete in the global marketplace, the more our nation will prosper. Welcome to Episode 48 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. I...

India is too large to be governed in a top-down way, with an all-powerful center. It makes a mockery of democracy. Decentralisation is the only way out. Welcome to Episode 47 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss how a country as large and diverse as India needs more local government. But what does this mean in prac...

It is fashionable for privileged elites to have ideas about the world that make them feel virtuous -- but end up harming the poor. Stay away from such Luxury Beliefs! Welcome to Episode 46 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss how socialism, focusing on inequality, banning victimless crimes and being generally again...

Our brains are hardwired to think in ways suited to a pre-historic world -- which is why there are so many fallacies in our thinking! Welcome to Episode 45 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss five foundational fallacies, and speak about how we can improve our thinking if we learn to recognise them and avoid them....

Imagine a world without maps. What is out there? How do you reach that place? What does the world look like? Maps brought us from darkness into light. Welcome to Episode 44 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay and Amit speak about the evolution of maps, from the laborious survey work pioneered by the legendary George Everest to the...

We are surrounded by stories that need to be told, must be told, will blow your mind! Welcome to Episode 43 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay continue the series of talking about stories that should be films. Amit builds fiction based on IIT aspirants and vloggers, as well as a real life story about the Delhi of the 180...

Populism is on an upsurge across the world. It is a danger to democracy and civilisation. But what does that term even mean? Welcome to Episode 42 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay break down what political scientists mean by 'populism' -- it's isn't simply what is popular! They discuss the populist play...

We think of papers as boring -- but they contain ideas, and ideas change the world Welcome to Episode 41 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay and Amit take us through four papers -- actually, three papers and one essay -- that shaped the way they think, and how millions of others think as well. The power of a great idea is that it...

Our power sector is stuck in an old world. Climate change and the needs of future generations demand that we shift from our traditional sources of power. But how? Welcome to Episode 40 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay takes us through the history of the power sector, the problems it faces, the remarkable progess in renewables,...

Good things happen to us when we give them the chance to do so. The more we put ourselves out there, the more we are likely to get lucky. But Exposure is pointless without Excellence. Welcome to Episode 39 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit shares his fascination with the phrase, the Surface Area of Serendipity. And together, Aja...

Understanding the foundations of poker can help you understand the foundations of life. How to think about the world -- and how to find peace. Welcome to Episode 38 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit shares his learnings about the foundational principles of playing poker in a special presentation made for this show. Then Amit and...

Once upon a time, Indian firms thought local. Then they started thinking national. Do they need to think local again? Welcome to Episode 37 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay and Amit discuss the great waves in the evolution of Indian firms. Until the 1980s, firms thought local, and the branch manager of a firm was like a regiona...

How do we bring about change? How should we think about changing the state, changing society, changing ourselves? Welcome to Episode 36 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay and Amit discuss discuss theories of change in different contexts, with one common theme: we need to play the long game. This episode was first published on You...

We are monkeys -- and yet, we don't spend enough time in nature. We should go hiking more! Welcome to Episode 35 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay talks about his lifelong love for hiking, which emerges naturally from his love for nature. He tells hiking stories, and gives us all tips on how to get into hiking -- and how the...

Family Firms get a bad rap -- but the professional CEO is often not the solution, but an added problem. The modern firm has evolved to solve this. Welcome to Episode 34 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay gives us a masterclass in the different ways in which is family firm can be structured, and the incentives those structures bri...

We tend to think of the government as the solution to all our problems. But governments are people. And people respond to incentives. Welcome to Episode 33 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay talk about a branch of economics that they both love: Public Choice Theory. This is the study of how politicians, bureaucrats, spec...

Unix is the backbone of the world's technology. It is also a way of living that can help us discover purpose and beauty. Welcome to Episode 32 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. This is the long-awaited episode in which Ajay explains to the world, with an incredible screencast, how to use Unix. But before that, Ajay and Amit discuss the history an...

Is the Indian military well-equipped for the challenges that face India? What's wrong with it -- and how do we fix it? Welcome to Episode 31 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this conversation, Ajay uses an analysis by cult YouTuber Perun to launch an educational deep dive into how we should think about the Indian Armed Forces. This episode wa...

Are we slaves to the things that own us? To find ourselves, do we need to lose the mess around us? Do we need to declutter? Welcome to Episode 30 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this conversation, Amit and Ajay share their philosophies towards decluttering -- and towards things. What should we buy? What should we give away? Do we need... stuff?...

They are grand. They are intimate. They're incredible stories, and they need to be told! Welcome to Episode 29 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. This week, carrying on from episode 23's dream of presenting stories that should be films, Amit and Ajay talk about the hardest decision of WW2, a couple that drifts apart because they hear the world...