Interviewing leaders and living among villagers on the Naxalite movement’s periphery, Shah seeks to understand and analyse why some of India’s poor have shunned the world’s largest democracy and chosen to take up arms.

Dawn Chatty, author of ‘Syria: The Making and Unmaking of a Refuge State’ and Diana Darke, author of ‘The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival’ will each give a presentation on their recent books.

Shah will be joined in conversation by Neel Mukherjee, author of A State of Freedom and the Man Booker Prize shortlisted The Lives of Others.