Varavara Rao is a well-known Telugu poet and an ideologue of Maoist politics. He is one of the founders of VIRASAM – Revolutionary Writers’ Association, the first of its kind in India, directly inspired by the Naxalbari and Srikakulam adivasi peasant struggles. He has published ten volumes of poetry and his work has been translated into a number of Indian languages. He was also one of the spokespersons in the first ever talks held between the Maoists and the Andhra Pradesh government in 2000.