Let’s Call Him Vasu

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, Shubhranshu 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, making Let’s Call Him Vasu the most comprehensive and least partisan account of Maoists in recent times.