Gaddar

Gaddar was active in the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, as well as the movement for Telangana's statehood.

Gaddar
Rao in 2005
Personal details
Born	Gummadi Vittal Rao (1946-06-06)6 June 1946 Toopran, Hyderabad State, Dominion of India (01 November 1956 to 02 June 2014 Andhra Pradesh) (02 June 2014-Telangana), India
Died	6 August 2023(2023-08-06) (aged 77) Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Political party	Telangana Praja Front
Spouse	Vimala Gaddar
Residence(s)	Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Alma mater	Osmania University

Gaddar was born as Gummadi Vithal Rao at Toopran in the Medak district of Telangana in 1949.

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.

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

With the resurgence of Telangana movement, Gadar expressed his support for the cause of a separate Telangana 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 Telangana^{[a what? clarification needed]} 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.

 

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.

Nandi Awards:

• 1995: Nandi Award for Best Lyricist for "Malletheega Ku Pandiri Vole" from Orey Rikshaw (turned down)
• 2011: Nandi Award for Best Male Playback Singer for Jai Bolo Telangana

• Telangana Praja Front