Gummadi Vittal Rao, popularly known as Gaddar, poet, revolutionary balladeer, activist, and former rebel is no more. Gaddar played a crucial role in the Telangana movement with his songs that educated and encouraged students and people.
Especially the Podusthunna Poddhu song was a rage during the agitation days and also became an anthem for the movement.
Gaddar’s son Suryam announced that his father is no more. He breathed his last while being treated in Apollo Hospital.
Gaddar is born in a Dalit family to Lachamma, Seshaiah couple in 1949. He studied in Mahabubnagar and Engineering in Hyderabad. He was very active in the Telangana movement in 1969.
He moved to the length and breadth of the state propagating the importance of Separate Telangana using ‘Burra Kathalu’.
Impressed by his work, Film director B Narasimha Rao arranged a show on Bhagath Singh Jayanthi. He used to give shows every Sunday from then.
He wrote his first song ‘Aapara Riksha’ for the same director and the album is titled ‘Gaddar’ and from then, it became his name.
His demise is a great loss to Telangana state.
