This was the first book I bought on FlipKart which is interesting online shopping experience because it allows you to pay by Cash on Delivery. This was my first experience of doing that anywhere, and it was pretty smooth with constant updates via SMS on the state of my book.
Anyways, if there is one book you must read about India, it must be Red Sun – Travels in Naxalite Country. Most of the vocal Indians online (including myself) live in the cities where murder & mayhem are pretty rare (except if you live in Delhi), and hence we are unaware of what happens outside of these cities.
Sudeep Chakravarti talks to various ex and current naxals and tries to find out why they are at war with the government of India. The picture of reckless violence & corruption he paints makes you wonder how you can even consider India as a country that is making progress. Tribals have never had a voice before and even today their situation is unchanged.
Madam Blavatsky’s tales mention the constant terror of tigers as soon as you get out of town and it is hilarious to contrast that with the current situations where tigers are almost extinct and almost all available forest land is being converted to coal mines being controlled by private militia & tribals - whose daily sustenance derives from such forests – are being driven out.
Two movies I saw recently make Sudeep’s book even more vivid in my mind: Gangs of Wasseypur and Shanghai.
Anyways, if there is one book you must read about India, it must be Red Sun – Travels in Naxalite Country. Most of the vocal Indians online (including myself) live in the cities where murder & mayhem are pretty rare (except if you live in Delhi), and hence we are unaware of what happens outside of these cities.
Sudeep Chakravarti talks to various ex and current naxals and tries to find out why they are at war with the government of India. The picture of reckless violence & corruption he paints makes you wonder how you can even consider India as a country that is making progress. Tribals have never had a voice before and even today their situation is unchanged.
Madam Blavatsky’s tales mention the constant terror of tigers as soon as you get out of town and it is hilarious to contrast that with the current situations where tigers are almost extinct and almost all available forest land is being converted to coal mines being controlled by private militia & tribals - whose daily sustenance derives from such forests – are being driven out.
Two movies I saw recently make Sudeep’s book even more vivid in my mind: Gangs of Wasseypur and Shanghai.
