Gummadi Vittal Rao (31 January 1949 – 6 August 2023), known as Gaddar, was an Indian poet, singer, and

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

revolutionary. Gaddar was active in the

Naxalite–Maoist insurgency The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency is an ongoing conflict between the Indian government and Left-wing terrorism, left-wing extremist groups. The Naxalites are a group of communist groups, who follow Maoist political sentiment and ideology, and c ...

, as well as the movement for Telangana's statehood. Gaddar began his political and cultural journey as a Naxalite in the 1970s. Arrested during the Emergency in 1975, he later went underground. Despite controversies, he remained a prominent voice against caste oppression and injustices faced by Dalits and Adivasis. He was one of the founding member of the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War. He also founded the Jana Natya Mandali. He played a major role in drawing national attention to the

Karamchedu massacre Karamchedu massacre refers to an incident that occurred in Karamchedu, Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh on 17 July 1985, where brutality by Kamma landlords against Madigas (Dalits) resulted in the killing of six Madigas and grievous injurie ...

in 1987. He was awarded with a cash award of ₹1 crore posthumously for his contributions to the Telangana movement.

Early life

Gaddar was born as Gummadi Vithal Rao at

Toopran Toopran is a revenue division in the Medak district of Telangana, India. Geographically located on the west and south banks of Haldi River. Haldi River also called by Pasupuleru, Haridranadi, kondavagu, Toorpurani etc names. Toopran word ...

in the

Medak district Medak district is located in the western region of the Indian state of Telangana. Medak is the district headquarters. The district shares boundaries with Sangareddy, Kamareddy, Siddipet and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts. History Traces of ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

in 1949. While studying engineering in Hyderabad, he became influenced by the revolutionary ideas of the

Dalit Panthers The Dalit Panthers was a militant organisation that sought to combat caste discrimination. It was led by a group of Mahar writers and poets, including Raja Dhale, Namdeo Dhasal, and J. V. Pawar in some time between the second and the third s ...

and the Naxalbari movement. Gaddar went underground in the 1980s and became a member of

Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People's War Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People's War, usually called People's War Group (PWG), was an underground communist party in India. It merged with the Maoist Communist Centre of India to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist ...

. 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 Ambedkarism is called as the teaching, ideology or philosophy of B.R. Ambedkar, an Indian economist, barrister, social reformer, and the first of Minister of Law and Justice in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru. Ambedkarism includes specia ...

. He adopted the name ''Gaddar'' as a tribute to the pre-independence

Gadar party The Ghadar Movement or Ghadar Party was an early 20th-century, international political movement founded by expatriate Panjabi s to overthrow British rule in India The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rul ...

, which opposed

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Telangana movement

With the resurgence of

Telangana movement The Telangana movement refers to the movement for the separation of Telangana, from the pre-existing state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The new state corresponds to the Telugu-speaking portions of the former princely state of Hyderabad, which w ...

, Gadar expressed his support for the cause of a separate

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 state in favor 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 Tulla Devender Goud is an Indian politician from the Telugu Desam Party. He founded the Nava Telangana Praja Party (NTP) to fight for separate statehood for the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh, but later returned to his parent outfit. A b ...

's NTPP (Nava Telangana Praja Party) despite being shot at by the police during Goud's term as AP home minister. Gaddar performs in Kolkata

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

Awards

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...

: *1995:

Nandi Award for Best Lyricist The following is a list of recipients of the Nandi Award for Best Lyricist since 1977.(in Telugu language, Telugu) Winners References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Lyricist Nandi Awards, Lyrics ...

for "Malletheega Ku Pandiri Vole" from ''

Orey Rikshaw ''Orey Rickshaw'' () is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language drama film written and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao, and produced by Dasari Film University. It stars R. Narayana Murthy, Ravali and Raghunatha Reddy. It features music composed by V ...

'' (turned down) * 2011:

Nandi Award for Best Male Playback Singer The Nandi Award The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after ...

for ''

Jai Bolo Telangana ''Jai Bolo Telangana'' ( ''Hail Telangana!'') is a 2011 Telugu-language historical drama film based on the Telangana Movement, produced & directed by N.Shankar on Mahalakshmi Arts banner and Cinematography by T. Surendra Reddy. Starring Jagapat ...

References