Let’s Call Him Vasu: With the Maoists in Chhattisgarh

• The book documents a rigorous seven-year journey through the dense, conflict-ridden forests of Central India. It moves past generic political talking points to piece together the raw stories of hunted men and women caught up in the rebellion.

Shubhranshu Choudhary is a highly respected Indian journalist, peace activist, and former BBC South Asia producer. He has spent decades reporting extensively from conflict zones and is the visionary founder of CGnet Swara, a groundbreaking mobile-based community radio service designed to give a digital voice to marginalized tribal communities in Chhattisgarh.

At the absolute core of this real-life account is the enigmatic rebel leader, Vasu—who acts simultaneously as a comrade, a fighter, a close friend, and an absolute stranger. By meticulously tracing Vasu’s personal life and choices, the author shatters mainstream societal stereotypes to map out a highly layered, objective, and unbiased profile of the misunderstood Maoist guerrilla. It presents a haunting look at the immense human cost behind regional insurgencies.