Paper short abstract:

The achievements and contradictions of Maoist-inspired agency and ideology are examined via the life story of a Naxalite,­ an organic intellectual,­ from Dalit community. Of particular interest are developments such as shifts in the language of struggle (caste to class) and contradictions in political consciousness (persistence of traditional beliefs).

Paper long abstract:

The Naxalite movement is a Marxist - Leninist - Maoist movement working among the poor and the landless peasants in rural India. Ever since its inception during the 1960s, this movement has been the focus of scholarly interest and political analysis. In spite of internal splits and external repression by the state, this agrarian mobilization continues to gain ground in different states of India. In this paper, both achievements and contradictions of such Maoist-inspired agency and ideology are examined via the life story of a Naxalite - an organic intellectual - from the Dalit community ('Untouchables' in the caste hierarchy). Particularly, this paper explores the development of class consciousness (shift from caste to class) of this Dalit Naxalite leader, his involvement in class struggle, and his family life in the context of armed struggle. The paper also examines the contradictions of class struggle, especially at the level of political consciousness (the persistence of caste customs, religious beliefs, receipt of pro-poor funding from the state) in the everyday life of this rural revolutionary.