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{{Short description|Indian poet and activist (born 1949)}}
{{Short description|Indian poet and activist (1949–2023)}}{{Family name hatnote|Gummadi|lang=Telugu}}{{other uses}}
{{For|the station in Karachi|Gaddar railway station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2016}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox Indian politician
{{Infobox Indian politician
| name = Gaddar
| name               = Gaddar
| image = Gaddaar.jpg
| image               = Gaddar in 2005.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption            = Rao in 2005
| caption = Gaddar in a meeting in Nizam College Grounds- 2005
| birth_name          = Gummadi Vittal Rao
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1949}}
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1949|01|31|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Toopran]], [[Hyderabad State]], India<br />{{small|(now in [[Telangana]])}}
| birth_place         = [[Toopran]], [[Hyderabad State (1948–1956)|Hyderabad State]], [[Dominion of India]]
| residence = [[Hyderabad]], Telangana, India
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2023|8|6|1949|06|06|df=y}}
| alma_mater = [[Osmania University]]
| death_place        = [[Hyderabad]], [[Telangana]], India
| party = [[Telangana Praja Front]]
| residence           = Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| spouse = Vimala Gaddar
| alma_mater         = [[Osmania University]]
| party               = [[Telangana Praja Front]]
| spouse             = Vimala Gaddar
| occupation          = {{hlist|[[Poet]]|[[Folk singer]]|[[Sentimental ballad|Balladeer]]|[[Politician]]|[[Maoist]]|[[Ambedkarite]]}}
}}
}}
'''Gummadi Vittal Rao''' (born 1949), popularly known as '''Gaddar''', is an Indian poet, revolutionary [[Ballads|balladeer]], activist and a former [[naxalite]]. Gaddar was active in the [[Naxalite movement]] till 2010, and later joined [[Telangana movement|the movement]] for [[Telangana]]'s statehood.
 
'''Gummadi Vittal Rao''' (31 January 1949<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=31 January 2024 |title=Gaddar's birth anniversary on January 31 to be celebrated as state function |url=https://www.newstap.in/telangana/gaddars-birth-anniversary-on-january-31-to-be-celebrated-as-state-function-1517988 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=www.newstap.in |language=en}}</ref> – 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 [[Telangana movement|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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Jangam |first=Chinnaiah |date=10 August 2023 |title=Gaddar (1949-2023): His voice inspired resistance to oppression |url=https://scroll.in/article/1053977/gaddar-1949-2023-his-voice-inspired-resistance-to-oppression |access-date=24 February 2025 |website=[[Scroll.in]] |language=en}}</ref> He was one of the founding member of the cultural wing of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People's War|Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kartheek |first=B. |date=7 August 2023 |title=Gaddar: Revolutionary poet who fought for statehood |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2023/Aug/07/gaddar-revolutionary-poet-who-fought-for-statehood-2602677.html |access-date=24 February 2025 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> He also founded the Jana Natya Mandali.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Apparasu |first=Srinivasa Rao |date=6 August 2023 |title=Popular balladeer and former Maoist ideologue Gaddar passes away |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/renowned-balladeer-and-former-maoist-ideologue-gaddar-passes-away-at-77-leaves-behind-a-legacy-of-revolutionary-music-101691320693677.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920214115/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/renowned-balladeer-and-former-maoist-ideologue-gaddar-passes-away-at-77-leaves-behind-a-legacy-of-revolutionary-music-101691320693677.html |archive-date=20 September 2024 |access-date=24 February 2025 |work=Hindustan Times |language=en-us |url-status=live }}</ref> He played a major role in drawing national attention to the [[Karamchedu massacre]] in 1987.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
 
He was awarded with a cash award of ₹1 crore posthumously for his contributions to the Telangana movement.<ref name="Telangana Formation Day 2025">{{cite news |last1= |first1= |date=2 June 2025 |title=Telangana Formation Day 2025 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/telangana-formation-day-2025-cm-revanth-reddy-envisions-state-as-a-3-trillion-economy-by-2047/article69648133.ece |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250603071821/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/telangana-formation-day-2025-cm-revanth-reddy-envisions-state-as-a-3-trillion-economy-by-2047/article69648133.ece |archivedate=3 June 2025 |accessdate=3 June 2025 |publisher=The Hindu |language=en-IN}}</ref>


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
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 in from of the crowds. He has a bullet in spine as a result of a failed assassination in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rebel balladeer Gaddar backs Congress|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/rebel-balladeer-gaddar-backs-congress/cid/1671726|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref>
Gaddar was born as Gummadi Vithal Rao at [[Toopran]] in the [[Medak district]] of [[Telangana]] in 1949.<ref name="TheHindu-obit">{{cite news |last1=Reddy |first1=R. Ravikanth |title=Telangana folk singer Gaddar passes away |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/telangana-folk-singer-gaddar-passes-away/article67164722.ece |access-date=6 August 2023 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=6 August 2023 |language=en-IN}}</ref> While studying engineering in Hyderabad, he became influenced by the revolutionary ideas of the [[Dalit Panthers]] and the Naxalbari movement.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=7 August 2023 |title=Renowned Telangana folk singer Gaddar passes away at 77 |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/news/renowned-telangana-folk-singer-gaddar-passes-away-at-77/article67167081.ece |access-date=24 February 2025 |website=Frontline |language=en}}</ref>
 
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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rebel balladeer Gaddar backs Congress|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/rebel-balladeer-gaddar-backs-congress/cid/1671726
|access-date=3 January 2021|website=ap7am.com/}}</ref>  


After being active in the Naxal movement till 2010, Gaddar later identified himself as an [[Ambedkarite]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Swamy|first=Rohini|date=2018-12-04|title=In Telangana, Naxal poet Gaddar embraces the ballot & old foes to fight 'fundamentalists'|url=https://theprint.in/politics/in-telangana-naxal-poet-gaddar-embraces-the-ballot-old-foes-to-fight-fundamentalists/157909/|access-date=2021-01-03|website=ThePrint|language=en-US}}</ref> He adopted the name ''Gaddar'' as a tribute to the pre-independence [[Gadar party]] which opposed [[British Raj|British colonial rule]] in [[Punjab region|Punjab]] during the 1911
Until 2010, Gaddar was active in the Naxal movement, later identifying himself as an [[Ambedkarite]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swamy |first=Rohini |date=4 December 2018 |title=In Telangana, Naxal poet Gaddar embraces the ballot & old foes to fight 'fundamentalists' |url=https://theprint.in/politics/in-telangana-naxal-poet-gaddar-embraces-the-ballot-old-foes-to-fight-fundamentalists/157909/ |access-date=3 January 2021 |website=[[ThePrint]] |language=en |quote=Gaddar remained active in the Naxal movement until 2010. He officially disassociated with the Maoist party in 2017 and declared himself an Ambedkarite.}}</ref> He adopted the name ''Gaddar'' as a tribute to the pre-independence [[Gadar party]], which opposed [[British Raj|British colonial rule]] in [[Punjab region|Punjab]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Biluka |first=Nirmala |date=12 August 2023 |title=Gaddar: A lion falls silent |url=https://www.deccanherald.com//specials/gaddar-a-lion-falls-silent-2645051 |access-date=17 May 2025 |website=[[Deccan Herald]] |language=en |quote=...he adopted the stage name of ‘Gaddar’ as a tribute to the Ghadar Party, which fought against British colonial rule in Punjab.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kappal |first=Bhanuj |date=13 August 2023 |title=Gaddar and the end of an era in Indian music |url=https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/art-and-culture/gaddar-death-music-poet-telangana-communist-111691827259951.html |access-date=17 May 2025 |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Livemint]] |quote=Gaddar—pronounced “Ghadar”, the moniker was inspired by the revolutionary Ghadar party...}}</ref>
.


== Telangana movement ==
== Telangana movement ==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Gaddar protest.jpg|thumb|Gaddar protests against arrest of [[Varavara Rao]]- 2005]] -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Gaddar protest.jpg|thumb|Gaddar protests against arrest of [[Varavara Rao]]- 2005]] -->


With the resurgence of [[Telangana movement]], Gadar expressed his support for the cause of a separate [[Telangana]] state and those people who were advocating it with the intention of uplifting the lower castes, particularly dalits and also backward castes. He said he was strongly 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) in spite of being shot at by the police during Goud's term as AP Home Minister.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/18/stories/2008011851710300.htm |title=Fight forces opposing separate Telangana, says Gadar |work=The Hindu |date=18 January 2008 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327140143/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/18/stories/2008011851710300.htm |archivedate=2008-03-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012058190600.htm |title=Telangana minus Hyderabad unimaginable: Gadar |date=20 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123101121/http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012058190600.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archivedate=2008-01-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020558860400.htm |title=Smaller States viable, say leaders |date=5 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209113137/http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020558860400.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archivedate=2008-02-09}}</ref>
With the resurgence of [[Telangana movement]], Gadar expressed his support for the cause of a separate [[Telangana]] state,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Satyanarayana |first=K. |date=30 August 2023 |title=Gaddar: The radical performer and cultural icon of Telangana |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/telangana/gaddar-radical-performer-cultural-icon-telangana-181719 |access-date=24 February 2025 |website=The News Minute |language=en |quote=From the late 1990s, he played an active role in the struggle for a separate Telangana state.}}</ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/18/stories/2008011851710300.htm |title=Fight forces opposing separate Telangana, says Gadar |work=The Hindu |date=18 January 2008 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327140143/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/18/stories/2008011851710300.htm |archivedate=27 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012058190600.htm |title=Telangana minus Hyderabad unimaginable: Gadar |date=20 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123101121/http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012058190600.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archivedate=23 January 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020558860400.htm |title=Smaller States viable, say leaders |date=5 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209113137/http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020558860400.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archivedate=9 February 2008}}</ref>


[[File:Gaddar performs in Kolkata.jpg|thumb|Gaddar performing in [[Kolkata]] in 2010 against the [[Operation Green Hunt]] ]]
[[File:Gaddar performs in Kolkata.jpg|thumb|Gaddar performing in [[Kolkata]] in 2010 against [[Operation Green Hunt]] ]]


== Music ==
==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,<ref name="TimesOfIndia-obit">{{cite news |last1=Reddy |first1=U Sudhakar |title=Renowned Telangana folk singer Gummadi Vittal Rao, popularly known as 'Gaddar', passes away |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/102477594.cms |access-date=6 August 2023 |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=6 August 2023}}</ref> he died from lung and urinary problems on 6 August 2023 at age 74.<ref>{{cite news |title=Telangana: Poet activist Gaddar passes away at 77 |url=https://www.siasat.com/telangana-poet-activist-gaddar-passes-away-at-apollo-hospitals-2660638/ |access-date=6 August 2023 |publisher=The Siasat Daily |date=6 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title= Telangana Poet Gaddar, Known For His Revolutionary Songs, Dies At 77 |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/telangana-poet-balladeer-gaddar-dies-at-77-4273956|publisher=NDTV}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Famed Folk Singer Gaddar Passes Away at Apollo Hospital|url=https://www.ap7am.com/lv-377173-live-folk-singer-gaddar-passes-away|website=www.telegraphindia.com|date=6 August 2023 }}</ref>
 
== Discography ==
{{Incomplete list|date=October 2022}}
{{Incomplete list|date=October 2022}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
|'''Year'''
!Movie
|'''Movie'''
!Song
|'''Song'''
!Lyricist
|'''Lyricist'''
!Notes
|'''Language'''
!Ref.
|'''Ref.'''
|-
|-
|1979
|1979
|[[Maa Bhoomi]]
|''[[Maa Bhoomi]]''
|Bandenaka Bandi Katti
|Bandenaka Bandi Katti
|Bandi Yadagiri
|Bandi Yadagiri
|Telugu
|
|<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krishnamoorthy |first1=Suresh |title=Maa Bhoomi will forever be alive in people’s minds |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/maa-bhoomi-will-forever-be-alive-in-peoples-minds/article7025857.ece |website=The Hindu |language=en-IN |date=23 March 2015}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krishnamoorthy |first1=Suresh |title=Maa Bhoomi will forever be alive in people's minds |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/maa-bhoomi-will-forever-be-alive-in-peoples-minds/article7025857.ece |website=The Hindu |language=en-IN |date=23 March 2015}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2011
| rowspan="3" |1983
|[[Jai Bolo Telangana]]
| rowspan="3" |''[[Rangula Kala]]''
|Jam Jammalmarri
|Devi Priya
| rowspan="11" |Also actor
|
|-
|Bhadram Koduko
| rowspan="2" |Guda Anjaiah
|
|-
|Madhana Sundari
|
|-
| rowspan="7" |1995
| rowspan="7" |''[[Orey Rikshaw]]''
|Malle Theegaku
| rowspan="12" |Gaddar
|
|-
|Aapura Rikshowda
|
|-
|Jatharelli Podame
|
|-
|Naa Raktham Tho Naduputhanu Rikshawnu
|<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 November 2020 |title=''Orey Rikshaw'' completes 25 years; Lesser-known facts about the R Narayana Murthy starrer |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/orey-rikshaw-completes-25-years-lesser-known-facts-about-the-r-narayana-murthy-starrer/articleshow/79125968.cms |access-date=24 February 2025 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
|-
|Rajyangam Chattamandu
|
|-
|Gana Gana Gana
|
|-
|Amma Kanna
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2011
|''[[Jai Bolo Telangana]]''
|Podustunna Poddumeeda
|Podustunna Poddumeeda
|Himself
|Telugu
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Telangana Formation Day 2021: Folk Songs that Ignited Passion During Statehood Movement |url=https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/telangana-formation-day-2021-folk-songs-that-ignited-passion-during-statehood-movement-3801434.html |website=News18 |language=en |date=2 June 2021}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Telangana Formation Day 2021: Folk Songs that Ignited Passion During Statehood Movement |url=https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/telangana-formation-day-2021-folk-songs-that-ignited-passion-during-statehood-movement-3801434.html |website=News18 |language=en |date=2 June 2021}}</ref>
|-
|-
|''[[Poru Telangana]]'' || Podustunna Poddumeeda
| ||
|-
| rowspan="3"|2016
| rowspan="3"|''[[Dandakaranyam]]''
| Bharata Desam
| rowspan="3"|Also actor
|
|-
|  Podduthirugudu Puvva
|
|-
|  Adavi Thalliki Vandanam
|
|}
|}


== Awards ==
== Awards ==
'''[[Nandi Awards]]''':
'''[[Nandi Awards]]''':
*1995: [[Nandi Award for Best Lyricist]] for "Malletheega Ku Pandiri Vole" from ''[[Orey Rikshaw]]'' (turned down)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-11-09 |title=''Orey Rikshaw'' completes 25 years; Lesser-known facts about the R Narayana Murthy starrer |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/orey-rikshaw-completes-25-years-lesser-known-facts-about-the-r-narayana-murthy-starrer/articleshow/79125968.cms |access-date= |website=The Times of India}}</ref>
*1995: [[Nandi Award for Best Lyricist]] for "Malletheega Ku Pandiri Vole" from ''[[Orey Rikshaw]]'' (turned down)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=9 November 2020 |title=''Orey Rikshaw'' completes 25 years; Lesser-known facts about the R Narayana Murthy starrer |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/orey-rikshaw-completes-25-years-lesser-known-facts-about-the-r-narayana-murthy-starrer/articleshow/79125968.cms |access-date= |website=The Times of India}}</ref>
* 2011 - [[Nandi Award for Best Male Playback Singer]] for ''[[Jai Bolo Telangana]]''
* 2011: [[Nandi Award for Best Male Playback Singer]] for ''[[Jai Bolo Telangana]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/2011-Nandi-Awards-winners-list/articleshow/16797289.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627090518/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-13/news-interviews/34430644_1_sri-rama-rajyam-dookudu-jai-bolo-telangana |url-status=live |archive-date=27 June 2013 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |title=2011 Nandi Awards winners list|access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 69: Line 128:
== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.telanganastateinfo.com/gaddar-asked-to-people-part-in-mission-kakatiya Gaddar asked to people part in Mission Kakatiya] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710001803/http://www.telanganastateinfo.com/gaddar-asked-to-people-part-in-mission-kakatiya |date=10 July 2017 }}
* https://web.archive.org/web/20120131021928/http://www.newswala.com/Hyderabad-News/Amalapurams-arrests-an-eye-wash-alleges-Gadar-8629.html


{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddar}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddar}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Telugu politicians]]
[[Category:Telugu politicians]]
[[Category:Indian male folk singers]]
[[Category:Indian male folk singers]]
Line 84: Line 139:
[[Category:Telugu poets]]
[[Category:Telugu poets]]
[[Category:Activists from Telangana]]
[[Category:Activists from Telangana]]
[[Category:Naxalite–Maoist insurgency]]
[[Category:Naxalites]]
[[Category:Poets from Telangana]]
[[Category:Poets from Telangana]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Indian Marxists]]
[[Category:Indian Marxists]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung disease]]
[[Category:Deaths from urologic disease]]

Latest revision as of 03:13, 2 March 2026

In this article, the surname is Gummadi.
For other uses, see Gaddar (disambiguation).

Gaddar
Rao in 2005
Personal details
Born
Gummadi Vittal Rao

(1949-01-31)31 January 1949
Toopran, Hyderabad State, Dominion of India
Died6 August 2023(2023-08-06) (aged 74)
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Political partyTelangana Praja Front
Spouse(s)Vimala Gaddar
ResidenceHyderabad, Telangana, India
Alma materOsmania University
Occupation

Gummadi Vittal Rao (31 January 1949[1] – 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.

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.[2] He was one of the founding member of the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War.[3] He also founded the Jana Natya Mandali.[4] He played a major role in drawing national attention to the Karamchedu massacre in 1987.[4][2]

He was awarded with a cash award of ₹1 crore posthumously for his contributions to the Telangana movement.[5]

Early life[edit | edit source]

Gaddar was born as Gummadi Vithal Rao at Toopran in the Medak district of Telangana in 1949.[6] While studying engineering in Hyderabad, he became influenced by the revolutionary ideas of the Dalit Panthers and the Naxalbari movement.[7]

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.[8]

Until 2010, Gaddar was active in the Naxal movement, later identifying himself as an Ambedkarite.[9] He adopted the name Gaddar as a tribute to the pre-independence Gadar party, which opposed British colonial rule in Punjab.[10][11]

Telangana movement[edit | edit source]

With the resurgence of Telangana movement, Gadar expressed his support for the cause of a separate Telangana state,[12] 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.[citation needed] 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.[13][14][15]

Gaddar performing in Kolkata in 2010 against Operation Green Hunt

Illness and death[edit | edit source]

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,[16] he died from lung and urinary problems on 6 August 2023 at age 74.[17][18][19]

Discography[edit | edit source]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Year Movie Song Lyricist Notes Ref.
1979 Maa Bhoomi Bandenaka Bandi Katti Bandi Yadagiri [20]
1983 Rangula Kala Jam Jammalmarri Devi Priya Also actor
Bhadram Koduko Guda Anjaiah
Madhana Sundari
1995 Orey Rikshaw Malle Theegaku Gaddar
Aapura Rikshowda
Jatharelli Podame
Naa Raktham Tho Naduputhanu Rikshawnu [21]
Rajyangam Chattamandu
Gana Gana Gana
Amma Kanna
2011 Jai Bolo Telangana Podustunna Poddumeeda [22]
Poru Telangana Podustunna Poddumeeda
2016 Dandakaranyam Bharata Desam Also actor
Podduthirugudu Puvva
Adavi Thalliki Vandanam

Awards[edit | edit source]

Nandi Awards:

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Gaddar's birth anniversary on January 31 to be celebrated as state function". www.newstap.in. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jangam, Chinnaiah (10 August 2023). "Gaddar (1949-2023): His voice inspired resistance to oppression". Scroll.in. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Kartheek, B. (7 August 2023). "Gaddar: Revolutionary poet who fought for statehood". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Apparasu, Srinivasa Rao (6 August 2023). "Popular balladeer and former Maoist ideologue Gaddar passes away". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "Telangana Formation Day 2025". The Hindu. 2 June 2025. Archived from the original on 3 June 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  6. ↑ Reddy, R. Ravikanth (6 August 2023). "Telangana folk singer Gaddar passes away". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Renowned Telangana folk singer Gaddar passes away at 77". Frontline. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "Rebel balladeer Gaddar backs Congress". ap7am.com/. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Swamy, Rohini (4 December 2018). "In Telangana, Naxal poet Gaddar embraces the ballot & old foes to fight 'fundamentalists'". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 January 2021. Gaddar remained active in the Naxal movement until 2010. He officially disassociated with the Maoist party in 2017 and declared himself an Ambedkarite.
  10. ↑ Biluka, Nirmala (12 August 2023). "Gaddar: A lion falls silent". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2025. ...he adopted the stage name of 'Gaddar' as a tribute to the Ghadar Party, which fought against British colonial rule in Punjab.
  11. ↑ Kappal, Bhanuj (13 August 2023). "Gaddar and the end of an era in Indian music". Livemint. Retrieved 17 May 2025. Gaddar—pronounced "Ghadar", the moniker was inspired by the revolutionary Ghadar party...
  12. ↑ Satyanarayana, K. (30 August 2023). "Gaddar: The radical performer and cultural icon of Telangana". The News Minute. Retrieved 24 February 2025. From the late 1990s, he played an active role in the struggle for a separate Telangana state.
  13. ↑ "Fight forces opposing separate Telangana, says Gadar". The Hindu. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008.
  14. ↑ "Telangana minus Hyderabad unimaginable: Gadar". The Hindu. 20 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008.
  15. ↑ "Smaller States viable, say leaders". The Hindu. 5 February 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Telangana: Poet activist Gaddar passes away at 77". The Siasat Daily. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Telangana Poet Gaddar, Known For His Revolutionary Songs, Dies At 77". NDTV.
  19. ↑ "Famed Folk Singer Gaddar Passes Away at Apollo Hospital". www.telegraphindia.com. 6 August 2023.
  20. ↑ Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (23 March 2015). "Maa Bhoomi will forever be alive in people's minds". The Hindu.
  21. ↑ "Orey Rikshaw completes 25 years; Lesser-known facts about the R Narayana Murthy starrer". The Times of India. 9 November 2020. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  22. ↑ "Telangana Formation Day 2021: Folk Songs that Ignited Passion During Statehood Movement". News18. 2 June 2021.
  23. ↑ "Orey Rikshaw completes 25 years; Lesser-known facts about the R Narayana Murthy starrer". The Times of India. 9 November 2020.
  24. ↑ "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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