Gaddar

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Gaddar bigraphy, stories - Indian poet and activist

Gaddar : biography

1949 –

Gummadi Vittal Rao popularly known as Gaddar (born 1949) is a poet, pseudonym of a revolutionary Telugu balladeer and vocal Naxalite activist from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The name Gaddar was adopted as a tribute to the pre-independence Gadar party which opposed British colonial rule in Punjab during 1910s.

Career

1969 Separate Telangana Agitation

In 1969, Vittal Rao (Gaddar) joined the struggle for separate Telangana state. He formed a burrakatha (a kind of folk art in Andhra Pradesh, India) troupe named after Mahatma Gandhi to spread awareness about Telangana issue. He was soon disillusioned.For a while, he gave performances on family planning and other social themes for the Indian government’s information and broadcasting ministry.

Popular culture

B. Narsing Rao, film director and founder of a forum called ‘Art Lovers Association’ noticed Gaddar and was impressed by his performance. He invited him to perform at a program on Bhagat Singh’s anniversary. After this program, Gaddar began attending the weekly meetings of Art Lovers Forum on Sundays. B. Narsing Rao also asked him to write and bring something along. At the next weekly meet, Gaddar brought his first song — Apuro Rickshaw (stop rickshaw). Narsing Rao suggested changes to link the song to their lives and their labour. This became the famous song:

Stop Rickshaw-walla; I am coming; You work from morning to night, but your stomach cannot be filled; So much blood and sweat, yet you earn hardly anything…

This song, written in about 1971, became a massive hit, specifically amongst rickshaw drivers.

Then Gaddar came regularly to the Sunday meets. Numerous songs were written, mostly by Vittal. They printed their first songbook. It was entitled "GADDAR"; after the famous Gadar Party of Punjab. Soon, whenever they went to perform on streets, the people began to say that the "Gaddar people have come". The name stuck, and from then on Vittalrao is known as Gaddar. Meanwhile Gaddar came to know that B Narsing Rao was linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). Slowly Gaddar also came close to the Party.

Gaddar once again for separate State of Telanagana

With the resurgence of Telangana movement, Gadar once again started to express his support for the cause of Telangana and expressed his strong vocal support for all those fighting for a separate Telangana state with the motive of upliftment of lower castes, particularly dalits and also backward castes. Despite being a hardcore communist, he does not share the ideas of some communist parties of India that oppose separate Telangana state. In recent TV interviews he came out clearly that he is 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 Devendar Gouds NTPP (Nava Telengana Praja Party) in spite of being shot at by the police during Goud’s term as AP Home Minister. Quoting in his own words from various interviews on News channels "Even though telangana can be achieved only by political process through a bill at the center, it lies not only with the leaders of telangana parties but all those who have their lives at stake to bring about a people’s movement. For a beginning let us take a big march. I Would lead the march and would be the first to take any bullets if fired at."

Gadar’s song "Amma Telanganama Akali kekala gaanama" has been selected as the state song of Telangana"

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/18/stories/2008011851710300.htm http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012058190600.htm http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020558860400.htm http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/09/stories/2008010955840300.htm http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=ULv0MBRedk4&feature=related http://www.andhrajyothy.com/mainshow.asp?qry=/2008/dist/jan/23mdk4 http://www.andhrajyothy.com/mainshow.asp?qry=/2008/jan/17main40 http://www.andhrajyothy.com/mainshow.asp?qry=/2008/jan/22main31