Gaddar

Gummadi Vittal Rao (1949 – 6 August 2023), known as Gaddar, was an Indian poet, singer, and communist revolutionary. Gaddar was active in the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, as well as the movement for Telangana's statehood.

For the station in Karachi, see Gaddar railway station.

Gaddar
Rao in 2005
Personal details
Born
Gummadi Vittal Rao

1949 (1949)
Toopran, Hyderabad State, India
Died (aged 74)
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Political partyTelangana Praja Front
SpouseVimala Gaddar
Residence(s)Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Alma materOsmania University

Early life

Gaddar was born as Gummadi Vithal Rao at Toopran in the Medak district of Telangana in 1949.[1]

Gaddar went underground in the 1980s and became a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People's War. He was part of its cultural wing and performed for crowds. A bullet remained in his spine after an assassination attempt in 1997.[2]

Until 2010, Gaddar was active in the Naxal movement, later identifying himself as an Ambedkarite.[3] He adopted the name Gaddar as a tribute to the pre-independence Gadar party, which opposed British colonial rule in Punjab.[4]

Telangana movement

With the resurgence of Telangana movement, Gadar expressed his support for the cause of a separate Telangana state, which intended to uplift the lower castes, particularly dalits and backward castes. He said that he was strongly aligned with those who are for a Telangana of social justice where scheduled tribes and scheduled castes have political representation on par with the OCs and BCs of the state. He expressed his solidarity with Devender Goud's NTPP (Nava Telangana Praja Party) despite being shot at by the police during Goud's term as AP home minister.[5][6][7]

Gaddar performing in Kolkata in 2010 against Operation Green Hunt

Illness and death

Suffering from severe heart disease, Gaddar was admitted to a Hyderabad hospital on 20 July 2023 where he underwent bypass surgery on 3 August 2023. While recovering from surgery,[8] he died from lung and urinary problems on 6 August 2023 at age 74.[9][10][11]

Music
Year Movie Song Lyricist Language Ref.
1979 Maa Bhoomi Bandenaka Bandi Katti Bandi Yadagiri Telugu [12]
1995 Orey Rikshaw Malle Theegaku Gaddar Telugu
2011 Jai Bolo Telangana Podustunna Poddumeeda Gaddar Telugu [13]

Awards

Nandi Awards:

See also

References
  1. Reddy, R. Ravikanth (6 August 2023). "Telangana folk singer Gaddar passes away". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  2. "Rebel balladeer Gaddar backs Congress". ap7am.com/. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  3. Swamy, Rohini (4 December 2018). "In Telangana, Naxal poet Gaddar embraces the ballot & old foes to fight 'fundamentalists'". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  4. "Ghadr (Sikh political organization)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  5. "Fight forces opposing separate Telangana, says Gadar". The Hindu. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "Telangana minus Hyderabad unimaginable: Gadar". The Hindu. 20 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008.
  7. "Smaller States viable, say leaders". The Hindu. 5 February 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008.
  8. Reddy, U Sudhakar (6 August 2023). "Renowned Telangana folk singer Gummadi Vittal Rao, popularly known as 'Gaddar', passes away". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  9. "Telangana: Poet activist Gaddar passes away at 77". The Siasat Daily. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  10. "Telangana Poet Gaddar, Known For His Revolutionary Songs, Dies At 77". NDTV.
  11. "Famed Folk Singer Gaddar Passes Away at Apollo Hospital". www.telegraphindia.com. 6 August 2023.
  12. Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (23 March 2015). "Maa Bhoomi will forever be alive in people's minds". The Hindu.
  13. "Telangana Formation Day 2021: Folk Songs that Ignited Passion During Statehood Movement". News18. 2 June 2021.
  14. "Orey Rikshaw completes 25 years; Lesser-known facts about the R Narayana Murthy starrer". The Times of India. 9 November 2020.
  15. "2011 Nandi Awards winners list". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
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