Let's Call Him Vasu  (English, Paperback, Choudhary Shubranshu)

The most comprehensive and least partisan account of Maoists written in recent years

How did Chhattisgarh turn into India’s ‘biggest internal security threat’? How did it become the epicentre of the Maoist rebellion? Why did the backbenchers—the quiet adivasi classmates from the author’s school—turn into the nation’s ‘biggest terrorists’?

In this passionate quest to find out what ails the failing heart of India, Subharanshu Choudhary spent seven years with hundreds of Maoists, asking probing questions at all levels of their hierarchy to meticulously piece together the stories of these hunted men and women.

At the centre of this extraordinary account is the enigmatic Vasu—at once comrade and rebel, friend and stranger. By telling his story, Choudhary destroys many stereotypes to flesh out a layered portrait of the misunderstood Maoist.

About the Author
Shubhranshu Choudhary Choudhary was a BBC South Asia producer for more than ten years and a reporter for the Guardian for two years. He was a reporter for five years at the Hindi-language daily Deshbandhu. He produced the first television coverage of foreign militants operating in Indian Kashmir and conducted the first television interview with the chief commander of the Kashmiri militant organization.