Priya Aditi
The popular balladeer and former Maoist party ideologue Gummadi Vithal Rao, aka Gaddar, passes away on Sunday afternoon at a private hospital in Hyderabad, according to a hospital announcement.
He was 77 years old. Surviving him are his wife Vimala, sons Surya and Chandra, and daughter Vennela.
“On July 20, Gaddar was confined to the hospital suffering from severe heart disease. On August 3, he underwent bypass surgery and subsequently recovered. However, he had a history of pulmonary and urinary infections, which were exacerbated by age-related issues on Sunday. According to a bulletin from Apollo Spectra Hospitals, he passed away at 3 p.m.
Born in 1946 in Toopran, Kamareddy district (formerly Medak) in Telangana, Gaddar had worked at Canara Bank for some time in 1975 prior to entering “revolutionary politics.” He founded Jana Natya Mandali, the cultural arm of the People’s War Group of Naxalites, which evolved into the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
He was a balladeer who wrote, composed, and performed revolutionary melodies on stages. His music inspired numerous young people to adopt Maoism. He was instrumental in drawing national attention to the massacre of Dalits at Karamchedu in 1987.
On April 6, 1997, unidentified individuals opened fire on Gaddar’s home in Bhoodevi Nagar, Hyderabad. He later claimed that the attackers were police officers. The same surgery was performed, but a projectile remained near his spine.
Gaddar supported the cause of a distinct Telangana state as the Telangana movement gained momentum. In 2010, he distanced himself from the Maoist party, and in 2017, he declared that he had severed all ties with the Maoists.
Gaddar, who had consistently opposed electoral politics, registered to vote in 2018 and participated in the assembly elections conducted that year.
He announced last month the formation of a new political party, the Gaddar Praja Party, and his intention to run in the upcoming elections. Previously, he had supported the Congress. Following Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha, he recently conferred with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The tunes of Gaddar were featured in numerous Telugu films and became popular hits. He also composed tunes in Hindi and Gond.
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Gaddar’s demise was mourned by Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy, and numerous other leaders and poets.
