But choose the path of Gaddar to live a legal life

EKALAVYA MALLEPALLI  | Hyderabad 

Veteran Maoist cultural activist Mala Sanjeev, popularly known as Langu Dada, clarified on Saturday that he has not surrendered to the police but has chosen to live a legal life, following the path once taken by his contemporary, the late revolutionary poet Gaddar.

Addressing a press conference at Ambedkar Bhavan in Yapral on Saturday, Sanjeev explained that his decision to leave the underground movement was driven by deteriorating health, especially weakening eyesight. “If I wanted to surrender, I would have chosen to die underground. But like Gaddar, I’ve decided to live a lawful life,” he said.

Sanjeev went underground in 1977 and spent nearly five decades involved in the armed movement. He operated in several states including West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. A native of Yapral in Medchal-Malkajgiri district, he joined the Jana Natya Mandali (JNM) in 1980 under Gaddar’s leadership and played a key role in the People’s War Group’s cultural wing.

Throughout his tenure with JNM, he travelled across 16 states, performing with renowned cultural revolutionaries such as Dappu Ramesh, Daya, and Divakar. He composed and popularized revolutionary songs like Sukkalanti Sukkalu, Dandalo Somanna, Yadanna, and sang Bharatha Desham Bhagya Seemara. These were later translated by him into Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi to reach broader audiences.

His wife, Parvathi alias Deena, joined the People’s War Group in 1992 and became a State Committee member of CPI (Maoist). She contributed over 150 songs and played a significant role in promoting tribal languages. Her Koya-language song Baasa emphasized indigenous identity and questioned the dominance of mainstream languages in tribal regions.

Sanjeev emotionally recalled the personal cost of his underground life. “I didn’t know about my mother’s death until four years later,” he said. He thanked tribal communities in Telangana and Chhattisgarh for sheltering him for decades. “They treated me like family. The forest life had clean air, pure water, and kind people. Now, I want to live in peace with my family,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Sanjeev and Deena appeared before Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu. Both had Rs 20 lakh rewards on their heads. Sanjeev was a Secretariat member of the Dandakaranya Zonal Committee; Deena held a key role in Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

Sudheer Babu reiterated the government’s commitment to support former Maoists through healthcare and rehabilitation, assuring they would not be punished but given a chance to reintegrate. Sanjeev concluded by saying that while he has stepped away, social injustices persist and people will rise when oppression becomes unbearable.