Yogesh Maitreya Somewhere in 2012, back in Nagpur, I had read an article on Sambhaji Bhagat, poet, balladeer and a rebellious playwright from Maharashtra. He is also a vigorous Ambedkarite activist, in his own words, “main Babasaheb ka baccha hu” (‘I am the descendent of Babasaheb’). While living in Nagpur I had hardly heard of …
Gaddar, Universal Poet-Singer-Performer Of Our Times
Kalekuri Prasad (Foreword to Dr. P. Kesava Kumar‘s forthcoming book Gaddar: Mahakavi of Our Times, written by Kalekuri Prasad) Gaddar with the author Kalekuri Prasad ( poet, writer, critic and activist who passed away recently) At last an effort to assess the great poet-singer of our times, Gaddar, is being made. It is not …
Popular Culture and Ideology: The Phenomenon of Gaddar
P Kesava Kumar (First published in February 2010) The cultural sphere has its own advantage over politics in terms of pulling people into its fold. Through his songs and cultural performances, Gummadi Vittal Rao, popularly known as “Gaddar”, the Telugu poet singer, maintains the historical continuity of people’s lives and their struggles. He brings politics into everyday life situations and …