Dharmesh Parmar, better known by his stage name MC Tod Fod, [1]Hindustan Times was an Indian street rapper and emcee. He is known for performing a rap on the soundtrack ‘India 91’ in the Bollywood film ‘Gully Boy’ (2019).
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Dharmesh Parmar was born in 1998 (age 24 years; at the time of death) in Naigaon, Dadar, Mumbai. He grew up in the streets of Naigaon listening to Bollywood songs, bhajans, and Bheem geets. He studied at St. Paul’s High School, Mumbai. Dharmesh was an average student. He often received his teachers’ scoldings for his mischievousness. During an interview, sharing his school memories, Dharmesh said,
Sir would beat the shit out of me and kick me out. And from my window, my uncle would see me outside and shout, ‘You’re doing progress!”
In his teenage, Dharmesh started watching music videos on Vh1 which intrigued him towards rapping. His interest was further elevated when he met MC Mawali and the Swadesi crew.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
He was born into a Gujarati family. [2]Red Bull
Parents & Siblings
Not much is known about his parents and siblings.
Wife
He was unmarried.
Career
Dharmesh Parmar got associated with Swadesi, a Mumbai-based multilingual hip-hop collective that was formed in 2013. As a part of the group, Parmar performed with MC Mawali, producers NaaR and Raakshas, and other members of the group like 100 RBH and Maharya and soon became popular for his hard-hitting verses.
Dharmesh Parmar during a stage performance
In 2016, he worked with producer Bandish Projekt for their collaborative EP Katal Kalaa for songs like ‘Dakla’ and earned a huge fan following. Subsequently, he performed at the WOMEX festival in Spain in 2018 with Viveick Rajagopalan, a percussionist and composer.
Dharmesh Parmar performing on the stage
Later, his verses on songs like ‘The Warli Revolt’ (2019) became very popular, and he emerged as a voice that fought for the environment and human rights. In the same year, he was among the 50 rappers who became a part of Zoya Akhtar‘s film Gully Boy. In the film, he performed on the soundtrack ‘India 91.’
In 2020, Swadesi’s music album ‘Chetavni’ addressed some societal ills. He was also a part of Swadesi’s single titled ‘Plandemic.’ Dharmesh also performed at the Festival of Peace in his college in 2021.
Dharmesh Parmar performing in his college days
On 8 March 2022, he released his single ‘Truth and Bass.’ Parmar gave his last performance at Swadesi Mela in March 2022.
View this post on Instagram
Death
Dharmesh Parmar passed away on 21 March 2022. The Mumbai-based music group ‘Swadesi’ shared the news of his death through their Instagram account. [3]The Indian Express Posting a video clip of Parmar’s last performance at Swadesi Mela on their Instagram account, the group wrote,
It was with this night that @todfod_ performed his last ever gig at Swadesi Mela. You had to be there to experience it, his thrill his love for playing live music. You are never forgotten, you will always live through with your music.”
The group further shared the details about Dharmesh’s last rites. They wrote,
Gather around his house at 2 pm on the 21st of March at the following address for his last rites. Address: Dharmesh Parmar, Old BDD Chawl 13/A, B J Deorukhkar Road, Naigaon, Dadar, Mumbai 14.”
As soon as the news of his death went viral, many known faces of the entertainment industry mourned his death. While the Indian rapper Raftaar commented ‘Too Soon’ on Swadesi Movement’s Instagram post about Parmar’s death, the Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh shared a picture of Parmar with a broken heart emoji on his Instagram story.
Ranveer Singh’s Instagram Story about Dharmesh Parmar
The Indian actor Siddhant Chaturvedi also took to his Instagram to share a screenshot of his conversation with the late rapper in which they both were congratulating each other’s performances. Siddhant posted the picture with the caption,
RIP bhai.”
Siddhant Chaturvedi’s Instagram story about Dharmesh Parmar
The cause of his death is yet to be known.
Address
Old BDD Chawl 13/A, B J Deorukhkar Road, Naigaon, Dadar, Mumbai
Favourites
- Singer: Bob Marley
- Food: Chicken
Facts/Trivia
- Dharmesh loved travelling in his leisure time.
- He had a leaf inked on his back.
Dharmesh Parmar’s tattoo
- Dharmesh was an avid smoker.
- Parmar was trained in Konnakol.
- He had a deep faith in Lord Shiva. [5]Instagram- Dharmesh Parmar
- Dharmesh was fond of dogs. He often shared pictures of himself with dogs on his social media accounts.
Dharmesh Parmar with a dog
- In an interview, while sharing a few fond memories of childhood, Dharmesh said,
During Ambedkar Jayanti, we used to have a full power celebration in my area with orchestras, Amitabh Bachchan lookalikes and dance competitions and drawing competitions for kids. We all came together to participate.”
- In childhood, he loved cycling so much that he often rented a cycle at four rupees an hour. Talking about it in an interview, Dharmesh said,
I spent my childhood renting a cycle at four rupees an hour and just riding around.”
- Despite belonging to a Gujarati family, Dharmesh was not so good at the language as he studied at a convent school. In an interview, talking about how his music group inspired him to learn the language and start rapping in it, he said,
I studied at St Paul’s High School, a convent so I’m not fluent in Gujarati. I don’t even know how to read or write, but I’m exploring the language, you know. I’ve got a dictionary, and I’m learning new words and phrases every day.”
- At the beginning of his music career, Parmar’s songs were usually inspired by beggars, boys smoking weed and hiding from cops, and the rigours of train travel.
- In an interview, Dharmesh disclosed that he started going to political rallies at the age of 15 just for the sake of getting Rs. 100 and a lunch. He said,
When I was 15, my friends and I used to go to the political morchas because they used to pay me Rs. 100 and lunch. I didn’t give a fuck about politics but it’s just hustling.”
References
