The name Gaddar is synonymous with a balladeer, a revolutionary folk singer, a Naxalite, the voice of the oppressed, and a failed politician. But, it would be no exaggeration perhaps, if I said that anyone who met Gaddar in real life and heard his soul-stirring folk songs once would never forget him for life his or her for life.
Sporting the trademark, red shawl, a wooden stick in hand, and silvery hair and a thick white beard, the stocky Gaddar, whose walking pace was curtailed due to a grievous attack that he survived in 1997, has been foraying into active politics, swaying into spiritual calls and combating many personal dilemmas in recent years.
On Monday, August 6 the voice of the Praja Gayakudu (People’s singer) went completely silent, as Gaddar, born Gummadi Vithal Rao, passed away in a corporate hospital in Hyderabad due to a sudden complication following a heart procedure he underwent in July. He was in his 75th year. Coincidentally, on the same day in 2014, Prof K Jayashankar, one of the architects of the Telangana State (formed in 2014) passed away. But, am sure his voice and songs will ring in people’s ears and give vent to their feelings for a long time to come.
He is survived by his wife Vimala, one of his two sons-Surya (whom he was trying to induct into politics), and a daughter-Vennela. Interestingly, Gaddar was an active participant in the Telangana agitation of 1969 too.
The Rise of the People’s Poet
Born into a Dalit family from Toopran in the Medak district of Telangana, Gummadi Vithal Rao, assumed the name ‘Gaddar’ from Gadar or revolt or rebellion. An engineering dropout of Osmania University, which was a ‘nursery for left movements and politics during 1960-80, he was influenced by the Maoist ideology and went underground.
His rich, baritone voice reverberated in the forests, and tribal areas, uplifting the spirits of the downtrodden and poor and drawing youth into the Naxalite movement, flowing with revolutionary ideas and songs for decades. With the Gongadi (black shawl or kambal of the Telangana Shepherd), tight dhoti and red scarf, and anklets to his feet, he was a sight to watch, full of energy and life during the performances.
Gaddar was a co-founder of the Jana Natya Mandali, the cultural outfit of the Maoists, which became popular in public fora. His songs and storytelling took a leaf out of the popular Burrakatha (the traditional storytelling form in rural areas). Many of his folk songs are best sellers with millions of CDs and recordings over the decades.
In 1990, when the then chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh, Dr M Chenna Reddy lifted the ban on the PWG (People’s War Group), Gaddar’s Jana Natya Mandali organised a programme in the Nizam College grounds. Gaddar’s songs and performance which went on late into the night regaled and brought tears to the eyes of many in the record gathering of those times. Particularly, the lyrics on the martyrs of the Naxal movement which he composed as ‘Okkakaru Sukkallo Kalisipoyara Biddalu (each one of you has merged with the stars in the sky), recalled Durgam Ravinder, a Journalist, who knew Gaddar closely.
Movies, movements and politics
Gaddar has left an indelible mark in movies, stage performances, and people’s movements. But, his political ambitions failed to take off. In films, his big moment was the song–Bandenaka Bandikatti, voicing the struggles of the rural and land rights in ‘Maa Bhoomi’. It helped B Narsing Rao win the national award for an impactful movie. He played the role of the armed revolutionary, Yadagiri in the film and danced and sang the super hit song.
Similarly, his lyrics ‘Bhadram Koduko’ (Careful Man), demanding equality and justice in society from the film Rangula Kala is well-known. Among his famous songs are–Amma Telangana, Ooru Manadhira ((Village is Ours), Nee Paadham Meedha Puttu Macchanay Chellemma (Like a birthmark on your feet, my sister), the last one fetched him a Nandi Award, which he refused. These masterpieces not only ensured his place in cultural history but inspired a new genre of revolutionary folk songs and singers in Telangana.
Gaddar grew into a household name in both the Telugu states-Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as far as raising the voice for the oppressed and disadvantaged sections of the people. However, his voice lent a huge strength to the separate Telangana movement. He penned the powerful lines—Podusthunna Poddu Meedha Nadusthunna Kaalama Poru Telangana–which became a calling song for the rallying of movements and agitations.
Gaddar experimented with politics, participated in civil movements, played an important part in the Telangana State formation agitation, etc. Along with the revolutionary writer of repute, Vara Vara Rao, Gaddar acted as the ‘mediators’ from the side of the Maoists in the peace talks with the State government in 2004 when Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy came to power.
But his political ambitions did not gain momentum. Though, he formed a party named Gaddar Praja Party, tried to seek support from all parties including Chandrababu Naidu to contest and in more recent times was veering close to the Cong(I), having met and shared the Dias with Rahul Gandhi too, the efforts were not taking off.
During the last decade of his life, Gaddar started shedding layers of the hardcore revolutionary that he was. His visibility in public fora, civil society activities, and politics grew. However, his movements slowed down as the 1997 attack on his life had left one bullet still lodged in his body. He travelled to several states singing and speaking on issues of the poor and downtrodden.
What surprised his close followers was the recent moves towards a spiritual quest. His walk up the steps, singing at the gigantic statue of Saint Ramanuja in Muchintal, and the visit and praise of the Yadadri temple stumped many who knew him. Similarly, he also faced criticism and allegations of building up some assets too.
On a personal note, Gaddar’s visit to The Hindu office in November 2018, spending a couple of hours and engaging the Journalists and staff on many topics turned out to be memorable for many of us.
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