Seven years later, she is hailed as a “legendary comrade” by the Naxalites and, as the squad commander of the CPI (Maoist) in West Bengal, leads raids in the red corridor.

Journalist-turned-author Sudeep Chakravarti cites the tale of Kumari’s transformation to explain the point he has tried to make in Red Sun, Travels in Naxalite Country, his second novel after Tin Fish. Rubbishing the division of rich and poor as the cause for disgruntle in the red corridor, he says, “It’s the humiliation and absence of justice that contributed to the spreading Naxalite violence.” The book takes pot-shots at both, the state and the Maoists, and demanded nearly two years of travelling in the trouble-torn areas as well as a series of meetings with bureaucrats, security personnel and the Naxalites.

Chakravarti’s book targets middle-class India, for whom “Maoism is something vaguely alarming”. “People have remained oblivious to Naxalism, it has acquired a huge dimension. It is talked about only in specialised areas like security or politics,” he adds. Red Sun will be released in Mumbai on Wednesday at Crossword bookstore.

The common man in India, however, is not just ignorant about Naxalite violence, but also aloof. Actor-turned-activist Nandita Das gave a stellar performance in the 2002-release, Lal Salaam, which shows people taking recourse to violence when justice is denied. Das turns towards Naxalism in the film, but now appears uncomfortable with it, says the author, as he narrates a meeting with her at a seminar.

Red Sun doesn’t offer grand solutions to the Naxalite problem. According to him, the cure lies in simply meeting the basic needs of people, who probably still don’t comprehend the nitty-gritty of capitalism while clinging on Mao Tse-tung’s idea of “rural areas needing a mighty revolutionary”.