Youngest participant at HLF 2013

At 27, Sami Ahmad Khan, a PHD student of JNU, has won an award for his first book that talks about the nexus between Jihadis and Maoists

Sami Ahmad Khan is no astrologer but his predictions have already hit a mark. His debut novel Red Jihad, which weaves the discourses of Naxalism, extremism and jihadism and draws a picture of Indo-Pak relations in 2014, is the case in point.

The youngest participant at the Hyderabad Literary Fest explains, “The book suggests nexus between Maoists and Jihadis, which wasn’t talked about before. I wrote this in 2010. And we have news of their collaboration in the red corridor, making front page headlines now.”

The 27-year-old PhD student of JNU doesn’t take it as a compliment. “It was scary to see it come true.”

Then why did he choose this subject for his first book? “There seems to be a perception that we (youth) can only write on love and broken hearts or campus fiction. Youth has bigger concerns to voice as well.”

It wasn’t that simple to find publishers though. “Whoever I approached would say this won’t sell. You are from JNU, why don’t you share the interesting and colourful life on the campus,” says Sami, who gave up engineering for his first love — writing.

“I don’t want the market to decide what I write. I am also not an MBA graduate who knows the tricks of selling,” he said, adding, “That’s one of the reasons I might not make writing my career. ”

His instincts have worked in his favour. The book went into re-publishing just two months after it was launched in 2012. Also, he had a senior strategist praising him, “The book is a crystal gaze into the future of relations between India and Pakistan.” He also won the runners-up award of the Muse India Young Writer Award at the fest.