Shortly before he was admitted to hospital for surgery on July 20, Telugu revolutionary folk artist and balladeer Gaddar had told a press conference with a confident assurance that he would be back soon – fit and fine. It was a statement true to the fighting spirit of the poet-singer whose formal name was Gummadi Vittal Rao. But willpower was not enough. Gaddar died on August 6 after suffering from complications following a bypass. He was 77.
Gaddar’s death is an immeasurable loss to members of people’s movements, who were inspired by his voice to fight against injustice. By the 1990s, his powerful ballads against the exploitation of marginalised communities had made him a household name.
Gaddar’s long political and cultural journey began as a Naxalite in the 1970s. When Emergency was declared in 1975, Gaddar was jailed. He went underground after that. His political career has witnessed tumultuous events and unexpected twists and turns, Though that angered some, he remained an icon of the anti-caste struggle of Dalits and injustices against Adivasis.
To help those unfamiliar with Gaddar understand the nuances of his life, the socio-cultural context of his emergence and fame would be useful.
Enigma to beloved balladeer
The suppression of the 1969 Telangana movement for statehood…
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