Synopsis
HELLO BASTAR:THE UNTOLD STORY OF INDIAS MAOIST MOVEMENT. While unlike its predecessor (The Absent State), this book doesn't quite touch the same chord, in all fairness, Hello Bastar is a great read. Understanding what leads to this sorry state of affairs, why it continues and gathers steam, where are we going wrong in tackling this are some of the answers if you read between the lines. We need to understand where the fault lines lie... what is it that drives a poor tribal to take up arms against a mighty state, what makes middle class educated Indians give up their bourgeois comforts and take up this cause? What intrigues me is that many seem oblivious to all this as they scroll down their Facebook newsfeed 'liking' inane posts about their friends' cats.This Fictionbook is a must read. This is definitely a very informative read about the four decade old Maoist movement. Having worked in many districts like Bastar and Giridih where the Maoists movement is very strong, I had heard stories of ruthless Maoist killings of the policemen enroute to these districts and the many times we travelled to these districts we have been scared and taken precautions (whatever the drivers and local people told). This is a good book to understand the Maoist agenda and their side of the story, specially people are either completely ignorant or have some idea. I felt bad and proud at the same time for Anuradha Ghandy specially. She definitely was a woman of substance. Planning to search for more readings about her and by her.
About the Author
The book is written by Rahul Pandita.
