EP-409 | Inside Bastar: The Journalist Who Made 200 Naxals Surrender | Vikas Tiwari

Vikas Tiwari, also known as Ranu Tiwari, runs the YouTube channel Bastar Talkies. He has helped over 200 Naxals surrender and return to mainstream society. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he talks about how Naxalism began in Chhattisgarh, the challenges of reporting from Bastar, and the goal set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make India Naxal-free. He was awarded the Rameshwaram Hindi Journalism National Award in December 2025. This is a simple, first-hand account from a journalist reporting directly from the remote areas of Chhattisgarh.Timestamps00:00 – Introduction03:18 – From Truck Driver to YouTuber11:58 – Dangers in Naxal-Affected Areas15:34 – Naxalism and Its Causes22:07 – How Naxals Return to the Mainstream28:33 – Challenges of Reporting in Naxal Areas36:41 – Naxals in Bastar: What Has Changed41:10 – Thulthuli Encounter Explained44:41 – The Story of Mukesh Chandrakar50:58 – Why Maoists Resisted Development56:03 – The Reality of Salwa Judum58:28 – Life After Maoists’ Surrender1:00:53 – Youth and Maoist Ideology1:02:35 – Reporting from Naxal Areas1:07:22 – Stories from Families of Martyrs1:14:08 – When Maoists Started Losing Power1:16:36 – Attack on Congress Leader V.C. Shukla1:18:35 – Understanding “Urban Naxals”1:24:10 – Suggestions to Counter “Urban Naxals”1:27:15 – Reality of Bastar Villages