Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Wednesday, January 30 announced at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad that the Nandi awards for excellence in Telugu cinema will be revived and renamed after revolutionary poet Gaddar.
The announcement of Gaddar awards as they will be henceforth called, was made at a programme organised by the Gaddar foundation to pay tributes to the poet who passed away in August 2023.
The Gaddar awards will be given every year on January 31 to poets, artists and film personalities. A government order will be issued in this regard. Revanth Reddy said film personalities who met with him demanded that Nandi awards be revived.
Nandi awards were last announced in 2017 and there have been demands from the Telugu film industry to revive the same. Revanth Reddy recalled Gaddar’s contributions for spreading social awareness through his folk songs and contributing to the statehood movement in Telangana.
The Chief Minister said when people’s aspirations were not fulfilled in Telangana state which was formed on the foundation of sacrifices, Gaddar had launched another movement. He also said the Congress government was inspired by Gaddar’s call for a people’s government.
Revanth Reddy said the Telangana cabinet will also discuss and take a decision on naming a district after Gaddar and installing his statue on Tank Bund in Hyderabad.
Former Maoist ideologue and revolutionary balladeer Gaddar passed away on August 6, 2023. He was 74. Gaddar, whose real name was Gummadi Vittal, became popular as a ‘people’s singer’ with his revolutionary songs, highlighting people’s problems.
He also acted in Telugu films ‘Maa Bhoomi’ and ‘Rangula Kala’. In ‘Maa Bhoomi’, he sang ‘Bandenka Bandi Katti’ which became a popular song. On January 30, the Telangana government issued an order to officially celebrate Gaddar’s birth anniversary. It termed him as a revered figure in Telangana’s cultural and historical context.
The GO mentioned that Gaddar made remarkable contributions to the society in the fields of literature, social justice and advocacy for the underprivileged.