Gaddar | |
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Rao in 2005 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Gummadi Vittal Rao (1949-01-31)31 January 1949 Toopran, Hyderabad State, Dominion of India (01 November 1956 to 02 June 2014 Andhra Pradesh) (02 June 2014-Telangana), India |
Died | 6 August 2023(2023-08-06) (aged 74) Hyderabad, Telangana, India |
Political party | Telangana Praja Front |
Spouse | Vimala Gaddar |
Residence(s) | Hyderabad, Telangana, India |
Alma mater | Osmania University |
Gummadi Vittal Rao (1949 January 31 – 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.
Early life
Gaddar was born as Gummadi Vithal Rao at Toopran in the Medak district of Telangana in 1949.
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.
Until 2010, Gaddar was active in the Naxal movement, later identifying himself as an Ambedkarite. He adopted the name Gaddar as a tribute to the pre-independence Gadar party, which opposed British colonial rule in Punjab.
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.
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, he died from lung and urinary problems on 6 August 2023 at age 74.
Music
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2022) |
Year | Movie | Song | Lyricist | Language | Ref. |
1979 | Maa Bhoomi | Bandenaka Bandi Katti | Bandi Yadagiri | Telugu | |
1983 | Rangula Kala | Jam Jammalmarri | Devi Priya | ||
Bhadram Koduko | Guda Anjaiah | ||||
Madhana Sundari | |||||
1995 | Orey Rikshaw | Malle Theegaku | Gaddar | ||
Aapura Rikshowda | |||||
Jatharelli Podame | |||||
Naa Raktham Tho Naduputhanu Rikshawnu | |||||
Rajyangam Chattamandu | |||||
Gana Gana Gana | |||||
Amma Kanna | |||||
2011 | Jai Bolo Telangana | Podustunna Poddumeeda |
Awards
- 1995: Nandi Award for Best Lyricist for "Malletheega Ku Pandiri Vole" from Orey Rikshaw (turned down)
- 2011: Nandi Award for Best Male Playback Singer for Jai Bolo Telangana
See also
References
- Bureau, NewsTAP (31 January 2024). "Gaddar's birth anniversary on January 31 to be celebrated as state function". www.newstap.in. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - Reddy, R. Ravikanth (6 August 2023). "Telangana folk singer Gaddar passes away". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- "Rebel balladeer Gaddar backs Congress". ap7am.com/. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- Swamy, Rohini (4 December 2018). "In Telangana, Naxal poet Gaddar embraces the ballot & old foes to fight 'fundamentalists'". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Ghadr (Sikh political organization)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
- "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) - "Telangana minus Hyderabad unimaginable: Gadar". The Hindu. 20 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008.
- "Smaller States viable, say leaders". The Hindu. 5 February 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008.
- 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.
- "Telangana: Poet activist Gaddar passes away at 77". The Siasat Daily. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- "Telangana Poet Gaddar, Known For His Revolutionary Songs, Dies At 77". NDTV.
- "Famed Folk Singer Gaddar Passes Away at Apollo Hospital". www.telegraphindia.com. 6 August 2023.
- Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (23 March 2015). "Maa Bhoomi will forever be alive in people's minds". The Hindu.
- "Telangana Formation Day 2021: Folk Songs that Ignited Passion During Statehood Movement". News18. 2 June 2021.
- "Orey Rikshaw completes 25 years; Lesser-known facts about the R Narayana Murthy starrer". The Times of India. 9 November 2020.
- "2011 Nandi Awards winners list". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2023.