Renowned Kannada Dalit poet and activist Siddalingaiah passed away on Friday, 11 June, in Bengaluru’s Manipal Hospital. He was 67 years old. According to the hospital, he was admitted on 4 May with severe COVID-19-related pneumonia and multi-organ failure.
“Despite best efforts, he succumbed to his illness at 3.45 pm on 11 June,” a statement by the hospital said.
Siddalingaiah was a respected figure in Karnataka’s literary circles, and is best known for his revolutionary song ‘Yaarige Bantu Yellige Banthu Nalavattelara Swatantra’, which questions who the real beneficiaries of India’s independence in 1947 were.