Arunodaya Vimala (born 1964), popularly known as Vimalakka, is a

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

eer and social activist. Her folk troupe is known as Arunodaya Samskritika Samakhya (ACF). She also heads a Joint Action Committee for the creation of

Telangana state 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 ...

Early life

Vimalakka was born in Aler village in

Nalgonda district Nalgonda district is a district in the Telangana state of India. Nalgonda district has the highest number of mandals in the state with 31 mandals. The district shares boundaries with Suryapet district, Suryapet, Rangareddy, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, ...

to Narsamma and Bandru Narsimayya, a Telangana revolutionary who participated in

Telangana rebellion The Telangana Rebellion of 1946–1951 was a communist-led insurrection of peasants against the princely state of Hyderabad in the region of Telangana that escalated out of agitations in 1944–1946. Hyderabad was a feudal monarchy where mo ...

. She belongs to Kurma community. She was youngest among five children. She did her graduation in

Bhongir Bhongir, also known as Bhuvanagiri or Bhongiri, is a city and a district headquarters of the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district and part of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region of the Indian state of Telangana. History Bhongir Fort is in Yadadri- ...

Life

Vimalakka was greatly influenced by her father's association with the rebellion. She started singing at a young age after being encouraged by Ram Sattaiah, an activist. She fought against

Jogini A yogini (Sanskrit: योगिनी, IAST: ) is a female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, as well as a formal term of respect for female Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teachers in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Greater Tibet ...

system. She was a civil rights, woman's activist. She has been fighting for Telangana statehood since 1995. She is now touring Telangana districts by organizing folk concerts, Telangana dhoom-dhaam & Bathukamma Festival. She married Koora Devender, the revolutionary party leader of CPI (ML) Janashakthi. She is the president of Arunodaya Cultural Federation (ACF) which played a key role in formation of Telangana state by their cultural programmes coordinated by Mohan Bairaagi the vice president of the cultural federation. She also has number of police cases during separate Telangana statehood movement. She was in jail for 4 months with her cultural organisation colleagues Mohan Bairaagi, Santhosh, Venkat, Mallu, and others. Now she is working for Saamajika Telangana with her organisation Telangana United Front (TUF) as chairperson. Her mother in law Koora Mallama (101) died on 31 January 2019, at Vemulawada Rajanna Siricilla district, Telangana.

References

{{authority control Indian women folk singers Indian folk singers Activists from Telangana People from Nalgonda district Living people 1964 births Date of birth missing (living people)