Gaddar
Gaddar | |
|---|---|
Rao in 2005 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gummadi Vittal Rao 31 January 1949 Toopran, Hyderabad State, Dominion of India (01 November 1956 to 02 June 2014 Andhra Pradesh) (02 June 2014-Telangana), India |
| Died | 6 August 2023 (aged 74) Hyderabad, Telangana, India |
| Political party | Telangana Praja Front |
| Spouse | Vimala Gaddar |
| Residence(s) | Hyderabad, Telangana, India |
| Alma mater | Osmania University |
| Occupation | |
Gummadi Vittal Rao (31 January 1949 – 6 August 2023), known as Gaddar, was an Indian poet, singer, and communist revolutionary. Gaddar was active in the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, as well as the movement for Telangana's statehood.
Gaddar began his political and cultural journey as a Naxalite in the 1970s. Arrested during the Emergency in 1975, he later went underground. Despite controversies, he remained a prominent voice against caste oppression and injustices faced by Dalits and Adivasis. He was one of the founding member of the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War. He also founded the Jana Natya Mandali. He played a major role in drawing national attention to the Karamchedu massacre in 1987.
He was awarded with a cash award of ₹1 crore posthumously for his contributions to the Telangana movement.