Rahul Pandita has storytelling style that is par excellence. The fact that he writes about revolutions and insurgencies make his books very likeable. "Hello, Bastar" written on the Indian Maoist Movement is an amazing book with a lot of rpimary research done by the author and written in a style that is captivating. Many times during the book, you feel you are in the world of the Maoists, and it sounds very similar to the stories about the Cuban Revolution. One can see parallels between Kobad Ghandy, Kishenji, Azad etc. and Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
The book is intensely written as well as well analyzed. The maoist movement's entire chronology from the Naxal movement of 1967 to the MCC, PWG, CPI(ML) and finally to its present form is well documented in the book. Special focus has been to understand the issues raised, the lives lived and the organization structure of the Maoist movement. The book brings forth the reasons for such a movement to exist in India and compels the reader to question the existing order. The piece about Anuradha Ghandy, a Maoist leader is very touching.
Most importantly, the book doesn't create any bias in the mind of the reader, not attempting to create any sympathy for the Maoists. It very dispassionatley examines the roots and the causes of such a movement and fills tha gap in the present exposure of the "modern" Indian society into the world of the trinal India. It is a concise and crisp book of less than 200 pages and hence doesn't take the reader to the entire red corridor. While it talks mostly about Bastar, it can be understood that the story is not very different in Lalgarh or Giridih. The chapter on the Urban front of the Maoist movement is unique and raises serious questions about the present development policies.
Filled with the flavour of investigative journalism and a critical appreciation of the Maoists as well as the government, this is a must-read for people interested in Indian tribals, social movements as well as for policy makers who are dealing with Maoism.
CMT's book rating 4/5
1 comment:
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