Shows
The India BriefingMaking Sense of India with Amit Varma and Milan VaishnavIn this episode of the India Briefing, we speak with Milan Vaishnav, host of The Grand Tamasha and Amit Varma, host of The Seen and the Unseen on the lessons, the critical ideas and observations that they have encountered through conversations across the years and how they have helped shape their understanding of India.Produced by Oijo Media Pvt Ltd | www.oijo.inEpisode Notes: The Seen and the Unseen with Amit VarmaEverything and Everything with Amit Varma and Ajay Shah2025-01-141h 33
NL HaftaHafta 519: Meta and fact-checking, the role of journaling, social media as source of newsThis week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Manisha Pande are joined by author Amitava Kumar and academic Joyojeet Pal.The panel discusses Amitava’s new book The Green Book: An Observer’s Notebook, and Amitava explains the role that journaling plays in his life. “Journaling is a means of self-discovery and a tool to document our times. Personal narratives can preserve truths and challenge erasures of history,” he says. He also says journaling helps counteract misinformation since it’s “about creating a record that endures beyond fleeting news cycles”. Manisha adds that...2025-01-111h 50
First Draft: A Dialogue on WritingClaire Messud and Amitava Kumar on Literary FriendshipThis episode on literary friendship with Claire Messud and Amitava Kumar was recorded live at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, Colorado at the June 2024 Lit Fest. Learn more about Lighthouse.Claire Messud is the author of six works of fiction. She is a recipient of a Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her essay collection is called Kant’s Little Prussian Head and Other Reasons Why I Write. Her recent novel is called This Strange Eventful History. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her fam...2025-01-061h 02
The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit VarmaEp 408: Amitava Kumar Finds His Gulmohar TreeHis earlier episodes on this show have been huge hits, and as he completes a trilogy of books, he returns to complete a trilogy of episodes. Amitava Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 408 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about writing, noticing, painting, travelling, trees, and unfulfilled train journeys. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Amitava Kumar on Instagram, Substack, Twitter, Amazon, Vassar, Granta and his own website. 2. The Green Book: An Observer's Notebook -- Amitava Kumar. 3. Amitava Kumar Finds the Breath of Life — Episode 265 of The Seen and the Unseen. 4. Amitava Kumar Fi...2025-01-062h 49First Draft: A Dialogue on WritingAmitava Kumar Amitava Kumar is a writer and journalist. He was born in Ara, and grew up in the nearby town of Patna, famous for its corruption, crushing poverty and delicious mangoes. Kumar is the author of several books of non-fiction and four novels. His new novel is My Beloved Life. Kumar lives in Poughkeepsie, in upstate New York, where he is the Helen D. Lockwood Professor of English at Vassar College. He serves on the board of the Corporation of Yaddo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices2024-07-2257 min
History Workshop PodcastAn Indian Historian's Ordinary LifeThe novelist Amitava Kumar on history, fiction, India, and ordinary lives.2024-06-2640 min
Lit CenturyTrain DreamsAuthor Amitava Kumar and host Catherine Nichols discuss Train Dreams by Denis Johnson. They talk about the wilderness and the names of plants, the associations of trains and the 19th and 20th centuries in India, Europe and the United States, and the book's rolling, associative prose style. Amitava Kumar is the author of several works of nonfiction and three novels. His novel Immigrant, Montana was a New York Times and New Yorker best book of the year and was selected by President Barack Obama as a favorite book of the year. Kumar's work has...2024-05-141h 01
Download Best Full-Length Audiobooks in Fiction, DramaThe Audacity by Ryan ChapmanPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/757733 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Audacity Author: Ryan Chapman Narrator: Vikas Adam Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 15 minutes Release date: May 14, 2024 Genres: Drama Publisher's Summary: In seventy-two hours, a blockbuster exposé will reveal Victoria Stevens's multibillion-dollar startup as a massive fraud. And Victoria has gone missing. Has she faked her death, leaving her husband, Guy Sarvananthan, to face the fallout—and potential jail time? Should Guy flee to his native Sri Lanka, an outcast and a failure? Or embrace denial? Opting for the latter, he takes the corporate jet to a private Car...2024-05-1430 min
Craft TalksWriter Amitava KumarAmitava Kumar is the author of several books of nonfiction and four novels, and his work has appeared in Granta, the New York Times, Harper’s and many other publications. He’s been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship, and his novel Immigrant, Montana was named as one of President Obama’s favorite books of 2018. In this CraftTalk, hosts Kate Essig & Ted Ibur talk to Kumar about what it looks like to write with intention – and we caught up with him about his new novel “My Beloved Life.”2024-05-0829 min
Foreign Policy LiveInside Narendra Modi’s IndiaWhy is Narendra Modi so popular? As India begins voting this week, FP Live host Ravi Agrawal discusses his essay “The New Idea of India” with executive editor Amelia Lester. The two take subscriber questions on how India is changing under Modi and what New Delhi’s foreign policy will look like in the future. Suggested reading:Ravi Agrawal: The New Idea of IndiaRishi Iyengar: Modi’s Messenger to the WorldSnigdha Poonam: Meet India’s Generation ZJosh Felman, Arvind Subramanian: Is India Really the Next China?Anusha...2024-04-1742 min
South Asian Films and BooksAmitava KumarIn this episode, I talk with Amitava Kumar about his 2024 novel My Beloved Life, an absorbing, exceptionally moving novel that traces the arc of a man’s life, an ordinary life made exceptional by the fact that he has loved and has been loved in turn.2024-03-2337 min
The Book ShowThe Book Show | Amitava Kumar – My Beloved Life“My Beloved Life” by Amitava Kumar is a father-daughter story that widens into an Indian family saga. It tells the story of an ordinary life made exceptional by the fact that father has loved and has been loved in return. His daughter’s story recasts the past in a new light.2024-03-1927 minThe Book ShowThe Book Show | Amitava Kumar – My Beloved Life“My Beloved Life” by Amitava Kumar is a father-daughter story that widens into an Indian family saga. It tells the story of an ordinary life made exceptional by the fact that father has loved and has been loved in return. His daughter’s story recasts the past in a new light.2024-03-1927 min
Explore New Worlds, Free Audiobook Are the Golden PearlsMy Beloved Life: A novel Audiobook by Amitava KumarListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeID: 692315
Title: My Beloved Life: A novel
Author: Amitava Kumar
Narrator: Amitava Kumar
Format: Unabridged
Length: 13:43:35
Language: English
Release date: 02-27-24
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Genres: Fiction & Literature, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Summary:
An absorbing, exceptionally moving novel that traces the arc of a man’s life, an ordinary life made exceptional by the fact that he has loved and has been loved in turn
Jadunath Kunwar’s beginnings are humble, even inauspicious. In 1935 in a village near George Orwell’s birthplace, Jadu’s mother, while pregnant with him, nea...2024-02-271h 43
Download New Full Audiobooks in Fiction, HistoricalMy Beloved Life: A novel by Amitava KumarPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/692315to listen full audiobooks.
Title: My Beloved Life: A novel
Author: Amitava Kumar
Narrator: Amitava Kumar
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 13 hours 43 minutes
Release date: February 27, 2024
Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4 of Total 1
Genres: Historical
Publisher's Summary:
An absorbing, exceptionally moving novel that traces the arc of a man’s life, an ordinary life made exceptional by the fact that he has loved and has been loved in turn Jadunath Kunwar’s beginnings are humble, even inauspicious. In 1935 in a village near George Orwell’s birthplace, Jadu’s mother, while pregnant with him, nearly dies from a cobra...2024-02-271h 43
Slate ConversationsWorking: How to Write Every Day and Stick to ItThis week, host Isaac Butler talks to writer Amitava Kumar, whose latest novel is My Beloved Life. In the interview, Amitava discusses his habit of writing every day—a habit he strongly recommends to his students at Vassar College. Then he shares the process behind his new novel and explains how he drew upon other novels for inspiration. After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about daily writing practices, how to establish a writing voice, and much more. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac and Amit...2024-02-1847 min
Slate CareersWorking: How to Write Every Day and Stick to ItThis week, host Isaac Butler talks to writer Amitava Kumar, whose latest novel is My Beloved Life. In the interview, Amitava discusses his habit of writing every day—a habit he strongly recommends to his students at Vassar College. Then he shares the process behind his new novel and explains how he drew upon other novels for inspiration. After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about daily writing practices, how to establish a writing voice, and much more. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac and Amit...2024-02-1847 min
Slate BooksWorking: How to Write Every Day and Stick to ItThis week, host Isaac Butler talks to writer Amitava Kumar, whose latest novel is My Beloved Life. In the interview, Amitava discusses his habit of writing every day—a habit he strongly recommends to his students at Vassar College. Then he shares the process behind his new novel and explains how he drew upon other novels for inspiration. After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about daily writing practices, how to establish a writing voice, and much more. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac and Amit...2024-02-1847 min
Slate CultureWorking: How to Write Every Day and Stick to ItThis week, host Isaac Butler talks to writer Amitava Kumar, whose latest novel is My Beloved Life. In the interview, Amitava discusses his habit of writing every day—a habit he strongly recommends to his students at Vassar College. Then he shares the process behind his new novel and explains how he drew upon other novels for inspiration. After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about daily writing practices, how to establish a writing voice, and much more. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac and Amit...2024-02-1847 min
WorkingHow to Write Every Day and Stick to ItThis week, host Isaac Butler talks to writer Amitava Kumar, whose latest novel is My Beloved Life. In the interview, Amitava discusses his habit of writing every day—a habit he strongly recommends to his students at Vassar College. Then he shares the process behind his new novel and explains how he drew upon other novels for inspiration. After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about daily writing practices, how to establish a writing voice, and much more. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac and Amit...2024-02-1847 min
Pratidin Ek KavitaSach Choocha Hota Hai | Amitava Kumarसच छूछा होता है।- अमिताव कुमार महात्मा गाँधी की आत्मकथा मेंमौसम का कहीं ज़िक्र नहीं,लंदन की किसी ईमारत यासड़क के बारे में कोई बयान नहीं,किसी कमरे की, कभी एकत्रित भीड़ यायातायात के किसी साधन की कहीं कोईचर्चा नहीं–यह वी. एस. नायपॉल की आलोचना है।लेकिन मौसम तो गांधीजी के अंदर था!तूफान से जूझती एक अडिग आत्मा–नैतिकता की पतली पगडण्डी पर ठोकर खाता,संभलता, रास्ता बनाता बढ़ता हुआ इन्सान!अगर आप सच की खोज कर रहे हैं,क्या फर्क पड़ता है किसूरज आज शाम 6:15 पे डूबा कि 6:25 पे?लेकिन नायपॉल की बात सर-आँखों पर!अगर आप महात्मा नहींमहज लेखक हैं,आपको ध्यान देना होगानोट करना होगा,अपने आसपास की दीवारों परखरोंचे गए प्रेमियों के नामछतों पर गिरती बारिश की बूंदों का अंतराल आंधी में झूमते पेड़ों की डालों का लचीलापनसाइकिल की घंटी की आवाज़या फिर दंगे के बाद का सन्नाटालिखना होगा,कैंटीन में चुपचाप बैठी युवती के बारे मेंजिसके सामने रखे पानी के गिलास मेंपूरी दुनिया उलटी दिखाई देती है।2024-01-3002 min
The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit VarmaAmitava Kumar Finds His Kashmiri RainWriting helps you find yourself, and shape yourself. Nothing illustrates this better than the life & work of our guest today. Amitava Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 364 of The Seen and the Unseen to continue his journaling in the form of this conversation. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Amitava Kumar on Instagram, Substack, Twitter, Amazon, Vassar and his own website.. 2. The Yellow Book: A Traveller's Diary -- Amitava Kumar. 3. The Blue Book: A Writer’s Journal — Amitava Kumar.. 4. Amitava Kumar Finds the Breath of Life -- Episode 265 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Wallan...2024-01-153h 10
The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit VarmaPushpesh Pant Feasts on the Buffet of LifeHe taught international relations for a living, and he lived Indian culture -- food, clothes, music, films, languages, the whole package. Pushpesh Pant joins Amit Varma in episode 326 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life, his times and this beautiful country he loves so much. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Pushpesh Pant on Amazon, Twitter and YouTube. 2. India: Cookbook -- Pushpesh Pant. 3. The Life and Times of Mrinal Pande — Episode 263 of The Seen and the Unseen. 4. Sara Rai Inhales Literature — Episode 255 of The Seen and the Unseen. 5. Chandrahas Choudhury’s Coun...2023-04-245h 24
Grab the Top Full Audiobooks in Non-Fiction, Language InstructionLetters to a Writer of Colour by Deepa AnapparaPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/670482 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Letters to a Writer of Colour Author: Deepa Anappara Narrator: Taymour Soomro, Deepa Anappara, Full Cast Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 11 minutes Release date: March 23, 2023 Genres: Language Instruction Publisher's Summary: Brought to you by Penguin. Filled with empathy and wisdom, personal experiences and creative inspiration, this is a vital collection of essays on the power of literature and the craft of writing from an international array of writers of colour. What if we reconsidered our assumptions about how fiction should be written? And can we then apply our...2023-03-2305 min
The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit VarmaSouth India Would Like to Have a WordIndia is run in a top-down way with a Northern bias -- and this is a problem. Nilakantan RS joins Amit Varma in episode 320 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how and why our Southern states perform so much better -- and are punished for it. Also discussed: virtue ethics, the charms of Madras and the dangers of storytelling. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out:1. Nilakantan RS on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. 2. South vs North: India's Great Divide -- Nilakantan RS. 3. Chandrahas Choudhury’s Country of Literature — Episode 288 of The Seen and the Unse...2023-03-133h 59
fiction/non/fictionLetters to a Writer of Color: Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro on Finding Community With Each OtherFiction writers Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the newly published essay collection Letters to a Writer of Color, which they co-edited. The book features 17 pieces by authors of color from all over the world reflecting on aspects of craft and the writing life. Anappara and Soomro talk about how experiences in their MFA program led them to collaborate on the book. Contributors include Kiese Laymon on the second person, Ingrid Rojas Contreras on trauma, Myriam Gurba on art and activism, Sharlene Teo on reception and resilience, Amitava Kumar on...2023-03-0945 min
Get New Free Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir, History & CultureLetters to a Writer of Color by Madeleine Thien, Tiphanie Yanique, Xiaolu GuoPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/604319 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Letters to a Writer of Color Author: Madeleine Thien, Tiphanie Yanique, Xiaolu Guo Narrator: Taymour Soomro, Deepa Anappara Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 12 minutes Release date: March 7, 2023 Genres: History & Culture Publisher's Summary: A vital collection of essays on the power of literature and the craft of writing from an international array of writers of color, sharing the experiences, cultural traditions, and convictions that have shaped them and their work “Electric essays that speak to the experience of writing from the periphery . . . a guide, a comfort, and a call al...2023-03-0710 min
Jaipur Bytesमैं आपके भीतर अपनी भाषा धुनता हूँ | Feat. Ravish Kumar & Amitava KumarA "byte" from Jaipur Literature Festival 2022!
Register for the Jaipur Literature Festival 2023 Edition here: https://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/registration2023-01-1706 min
Heart to Heart with Anuradha GuptaHeart to Heart Conversation with Amitava KumarToday on Heart to Heart, Anuradha meets with Amitava Kumar. His most recent novel is titled 'A Time Outside This Time', tells a story about news in the time of proganda. His last novel, 'Immigrant Montana', was named among the “notable books of the year” by the New York Times and was also included in the “best books of the year” by the New Yorker. Amitava definitely has a way with words and a lot to say about life and love. Tune in for a truly inspiring conversation.2022-11-2550 min
Shadow // YaddoBig Bad BooksBanned Books Week: Let’s celebrate and safeguard, come hell or highwater, our freedom to read! Bestselling novelist Colm Tóibín on Salman Rushdie’s work and activism, the history of censorship in Ireland, and the slippery slope that is book banning. PLUS: Ariel Schrag, whose YA anthology Stuck in the Middle made the list of “Top 100 Most Banned Books of the Decade.” Contributing artists: Amitava Kumar, Joseph Keckler; Billy Bragg & Wilco; Tom Paxton, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer.2022-09-2328 min
LIVE! From City LightsAmitava Kumar in Conversation with Aleksandar HemonAmitava Kumar in conversation with Aleksandar Hemon, discussing Amitava Kumar's new novel "A Time Outside This Time" published by Alfred Knopf. This event was originally broadcast via Zoom and hosted by Peter Maravelis.
You can purchase copies of "A Time Outside This Time" directly from City Lights here: https://citylights.com/new-fiction-in-hardcover/time-outside-this-time/
Amitava Kumar is a writer and journalist. He was born in Ara, India, and grew up in the nearby town of Patna, famous for its corruption, crushing poverty, and delicious mangoes. Kumar is the author of the novel "Immigrant, Montana," as well as several other books of...2022-07-0159 min
Researchers' CardboxS01E04: Cecil Taylor, Free NYT Games, Borromean KnotsAs Kumar observes: “Style isn’t universal” (120), and neither are influences nor the creative process. In what ways are influences, style, and creativity related? Further, how can arts-based practices inform the way we approach writing scholarship? If we value novelty in scholarship, how do we relate to what comes before us, and how do we avoid being vague copies of things we admire? Has the emergence of influencer culture eroded what Walter Benjamin referred to as aura, and have we entered an era wherein what’s valued is to become yet another mechanistic copy of the popular? And when we are a...2022-06-2919 min
The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit VarmaClimate Change and Our Power SectorTo fight climate change, we need to reform the power sector. Right now, it's dysfunctional. Akshay Jaitly and Ajay Shah join Amit Varma in episode 278 of The Seen and the Unseen to share their roadmap for change. Also check out: 1. Akshay Jaitly on Twitter, Linkedin, Nicheless and Substack. Ajay Shah on Twitter and Substack. 2. The lowest hanging fruit on the coconut tree: India's climate transition through the price system in the power sector -- Akshay Jaitly and Ajay Shah. 3. Akshay Jaitly and Ajay Shah's aggregated pieces on energy and climate. 4. The Time To Privatise India’s Electricity Sector Is Now -- Akshay Ja...2022-05-233h 43
Books and Beyond with Bound4.17 Amitava Kumar: Decoding The Lives Of WritersFind out how he dives into the lives and minds of writers through his hyper-real books.Tara and Michelle chat with Amitava about his latest books ‘A Blue Book’ and ‘A Time Outside This Time’. Amitava shares how one book became the material for another. Michelle loves that his characters are mostly writers (and migrants). How did writing help him survive the pandemic? How much of his writing is based on real life experiences? What does he think about writing residencies? Tune in to find out!Amitava Kumar is the author of several b...2022-05-1852 min
Books and Beyond with Bound4.17 Amitava Kumar: Decoding The Lives Of WritersFind out how he dives into the lives and minds of writers through his hyper-real books.Tara and Michelle chat with Amitava about his latest books ‘A Blue Book’ and ‘A Time Outside This Time’. Amitava shares how one book became the material for another. Michelle loves that his characters are mostly writers (and migrants). How did writing help him survive the pandemic? How much of his writing is based on real life experiences? What does he think about writing residencies? Tune in to find out!Amitava Kumar is the author of several books of non-ficti...2022-05-1752 min