Podcast Summary: Weekend Listen — Writer Amitav Ghosh on Why India Has Lost Its Way
Podcast: The Big Take, Bloomberg & iHeartPodcasts
Date: May 3, 2026
Host: Michael Hussain
Guest: Amitav Ghosh, Novelist
Episode Overview
This episode features renowned novelist Amitav Ghosh in an in-depth conversation with Michael Hussain. The discussion centers on Ghosh’s new novel Ghost Eye, his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his reflections on India’s current geopolitical position and cultural shifts. Through personal anecdotes and incisive commentary, Ghosh explores themes of memory, history, the mystical and inexplicable, India’s lost diplomatic prowess, and the dangers of short-term thinking in politics and culture.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Writing Amidst Crisis and the Miracle of the Ordinary
- Writing from Within the Crisis:
- Ghosh articulates the difficulty of separating himself from the realities of current crises—environmental, geopolitical, and social—when writing fiction.
“Before, we were writing about the planetary crisis, but now we have to write from within the crisis.”
— Amitav Ghosh (03:34, 15:22)
- Personal Experience Inspiring Fiction:
- Ghost Eye is revealed to be deeply autobiographical, especially the protagonist’s experiences during the pandemic in Brooklyn, paralleling Ghosh’s own life.
- The book draws from a personal and profound moment: his mother’s near-death experience.
“She was telling me in Bengali what she was seeing. There was a light, there were people coming towards her, very welcoming figures, and she was not at all afraid... The first thing she said when she came out of it is, ‘Why did you bring me back?’”
— Amitav Ghosh (07:15)
- Wonder and Mystery:
- Ghosh champions preserving wonder and mystery in how we see the world, criticizing purely mechanistic or reductionist perspectives.
“Very strange things happen in this world. Very, very strange, inexplicable things. …That’s what the beauty and miraculousness of this world consists in.”
— Amitav Ghosh (03:09, 08:17)
2. Reincarnation, Memory, and Cultural Mysticism
- Exploring Past Lives:
- Ghosh discusses his intrigue with children’s memories of past lives, reframing traditional notions of reincarnation outside religious metaphysics.
“A very large number of children are born with past life memories. Since this book came out, I’ve been contacted by literally dozens and dozens of people…There are a lot of these inexplicable things.”
— Amitav Ghosh (08:53)
- Suspending Disbelief:
- The novel asks readers to “suspend belief and step into a different world,” which Ghosh sees as an antidote to disenchantment in the modern era. (10:38)
3. Calcutta, Counterculture, and the Roots of Critical Thinking
- Calcutta in the 1960s-70s:
- Ghosh recasts his hometown as a vibrant mix of political turmoil and artistic ferment, contrasting its intellectual Marxist culture with New York’s capitalism.
“Calcutta…was then kind of a hotbed of Marxist activity...But also as an intellectual presence. I never subscribed to those ideologies…but still it was there. ...Calcutta and New York are like opposite ends of the telescope.”
— Amitav Ghosh (13:33)
- Learning to Think Against the Grain:
- Growing up in contentious times fostered a lasting sense of skepticism and critical thinking.
“That was the main thing about growing up there at that time: you really learned to be very critical, very skeptical of everything. …That stayed with me forever.”
— Amitav Ghosh (14:43)
4. India’s Contemporary Diplomatic and Economic “Lost Way”
- Vulnerability in Crisis:
- Ghosh highlights India’s economic vulnerability due to the government’s failure to stockpile energy resources and missteps in foreign policy—citing the current crisis in the Middle East.
“India…has completely lost its way diplomatically within the region, and it’s very hard to see how it can get back on track.”
— Amitav Ghosh (17:43)
- Roots of the Crisis:
- The climate crisis is fundamentally geopolitical, not purely technological—a theme from his nonfiction book The Nutmeg’s Curse.
“The mistake that Western experts make…is that they think of [climate crisis] as a technological and scientific crisis, whereas in fact, it’s a geopolitical crisis.”
— Amitav Ghosh (16:09)
- India’s Geopolitical Dilemma:
- India is caught between aspiring to continental power (like China or Russia) and being intrinsically maritime, making it difficult to position itself in the shifting world order.
“India’s problem is that it’s not a continental power entirely, and it’s not entirely a maritime power yet … it has to try and maneuver within the new emergent order of continental power. It’s a huge challenge.”
— Amitav Ghosh (24:17)
- Comparisons with Pakistan and Technology Adoption:
- Ghosh notes Pakistan maneuvering well within the system, taking advantage of Chinese technology, while India blocks it—drawing a parallel with similar U.S. policies.
“Just like the United States…cutting off your foot to spite your face…we are entering that same cycle.”
— Amitav Ghosh (26:26)
5. The Value of Cultural Exchange and Intellectual Life
- Why Stay in the U.S.:
- Ghosh emphasizes the importance of America’s still-present intellectual and artistic excellence as a fundamental reason for making it his home.
“I get to meet many first-rate thinkers from across the world…that part of it…is what holds me here, not to speak of my family and friends.”
— Amitav Ghosh (27:25)
6. Long-Term Thinking and the “Future Library”
- Participating in a 100-Year Literary Project:
- Ghosh is contributing to Norway's Future Library, where texts won’t be read until 2114.
- He discusses the challenge—and necessity—of thinking beyond immediate political and cultural cycles.
“…It was absolutely thinking of time in a completely different way…to try and think of what can I say to a readership that’s not yet born.”
— Amitav Ghosh (28:33)
- Timelessness, Not Futurism:
- He decides to focus on timeless themes rather than predictions:
“I needed to think of drawing on my own resources, of saying what I need to say, really, rather than trying to imagine a world far ahead.”
— Amitav Ghosh (30:41)
7. Writing Habits and Creative Process
- Handwriting and Discipline:
- Writes first drafts in longhand, feeling freer than typing, with notebooks forming an archive of his process.
“I write in a very complicated way. First I write by hand, then I start typing … But with this one [‘Ghost Eye’], it was literally like it came from outside myself, and the book just seemed to write itself.”
— Amitav Ghosh (32:18, 32:30, 33:02)
- On Productivity:
- “200 words is good. I mean, if they’re good words, that’s good going.” (32:06)
8. The “Rights of Nature” Movement as Political Hope
- Movements That Change the World:
- Ghosh identifies indigenous- and sacredness-based environmental movements as uniquely effective in today’s political climate.
“The only political movement that has actually had real effects in this world is the Rights of Nature movement … what they’ve actually been able to do is to mobilize governments into according personhood to rivers and mountains and glaciers.”
— Amitav Ghosh (33:53)
- Notes the ontological shift in legal recognition of sacred land.
“It’s not just that you’re giving rights to a river, you’re making an ontological shift in the way that you see the world.”
— Amitav Ghosh (34:20)
Notable Quotes
-
On Modern Disenchantment and Wonder:
“The world has lost all its wonder and its mystery. … Our Earth is infinitely mysterious and I feel that we know almost nothing about it. Science is great, but you can’t use a hammer for every job.”
— Amitav Ghosh (10:38)
-
On India’s Diplomatic Position:
“India in some way over the last few years, most of all, has completely lost its way diplomatically within the region, and it’s very hard to see how it can get back on track.”
— Amitav Ghosh (17:43)
-
On Political Hope in the U.S.:
“There is a huge body of people in the United States, especially young people, who are now just longing for change.”
— Amitav Ghosh (21:15)
-
On Choosing His Own Afterlife (with good humor):
“Maybe I’d like to be a bird.”
— Amitav Ghosh (36:21)
-
On Historical Eras He’s Studied:
“I researched the 19th century in India in very great detail. But I also researched the 12th century in India ... it was a very beautiful time. I think I would choose that.”
— Amitav Ghosh (36:36)
Important Segments & Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment |
|-------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| 03:09-03:34 | Introduction, writing from within today’s crises |
| 05:57-08:17 | Personal loss, near-death experience of mother |
| 08:40-10:38 | Reincarnation and mystical themes in Ghost Eye |
| 11:31-14:59 | Calcutta, youth culture, critical thinking roots |
| 15:59-18:44 | India’s crisis, energy vulnerability, lost diplomacy |
| 24:17-27:25 | India in the new world order, U.S. and China |
| 28:00-31:10 | The Future Library and long-term thinking |
| 31:15-33:02 | Ghosh’s writing process, longhand drafts |
| 33:53-35:32 | Rights of Nature movement as real political change |
| 36:21-36:36| Afterlives & desired past eras |
Memorable Moments
- The retelling of Ghosh’s mother’s near-death vision, which moved directly into his fiction (07:15).
- Ghosh’s assertion that modernity’s disenchantment is at the root of current crises, calling for a return to reverence for the mysterious (10:38).
- The breakdown of India’s fragile position between continental and maritime powers (24:17).
- The hopeful turn to Rights of Nature and indigenous worldviews as paths forward (33:53).
Tone & Language
Throughout the episode, both host and guest maintain a reflective, earnest, and globally-minded tone, with Ghosh combining scholarly insight with deeply personal storytelling. The conversation is rich in historical context and deeply engaged with the cultural, environmental, and existential challenges of our time.
For further details and background, visit the text version at Bloomberg.com, which includes additional notes from Michael Hussain.
End of Summary