With a number of individuals and groups seeking to organise peace talks between the Maoists and the State, the events in Andhra Pradesh between 1997 and 2005, when the Committee of Concerned Citizens played a similar role, are extremely relevant. The CCC made a broad-based effort to move the debate away from the violence-counter violence question and to centre stage the democratic aspirations of the people in the violence-torn rural areas of Telangana. Although the effort came to an abrupt end after talks between the government and the Naxalites broke down in early 2005, the experience of the CCC and the core principles of the action it pursued during those eight years can give pointers to the challenges and possibilities that civil society actors face in the current confl ict.