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Balladeer Gaddar, known for his soulful, melodious folk songs, is in the news lately for his views on the upcoming elections in Telangana on December 7.
The 1949-born Gummadi Vittal Rao, popularly known as Gaddar, a revolutionary singer and a sympathiser of Naxalism, right from his days at the Osmania University Engineering College during the Telangana agitation in 1969-70s, has seen a number of ups and downs, including being forced to go underground.
A winner of several awards, including the best male playback singer for Jai Bolo Telangana , which he rejected, Gaddar and a number of students who studied in the Osmania University and NIT, Warangal, turned to armed struggle as Naxalites.
During a visit to the The Hindu office recently, Gaddar expressed his views on politics, society and and family, laced with songs on changing societal and family values. When a child wants food, mothers these days order from Swiggy, unlike in the past, when it was made and served with affection.
And for Gaddar, the generation which has grown up with mobile phones face a different problem of isolation. Unless the huge population of youth is provided with opportunities and jobs, they will create problems for society.
On TRS regime
On the creation of Telangana, Gaddar feels the current TRS regime, headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao, has missed a golden opportunity to bring about change in society.
He feels that the elections called for six months ahead of schedule was one great opportunity for the people to demand accountability from the political leadership. He said he had recently expressed his willingness to contest against KCR at Gajwel. However, there was no response to his request.
As he shared some anecdotes, including the period when he was underground, he expressed how his parents had left a profound impact on him, stating that the only thing that remained with him was Gnanam (Knowledge).
His son Surya Kiran had joined the Congress. However, he was against joining any party but was keen to play a role in the system as one who supports secularism.
Describing the current administration as nothing but ‘neo-feudalism’, he said such a government was against the people’s mandate.
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