Dharmesh Parmar, better known by his stage name MC Tod Fod, is an Indian street rapper and emcee. He is famous for rapping on the soundtrack of ‘India 91’ in the Bollywood film ‘Gully Boy’ (2019).
Wiki/Biography
Dharmesh Parmar was born in 1998 (age 24 years; at time of death) in Naigaon, Dadar, Mumbai. He grew up on the streets of Naigaon listening to Bollywood songs, bhajans, and Bheem geets. He studied at St. Paul, Mumbai. Dharmesh is an ordinary student. He was often scolded by his teachers for his mischief. During an interview, sharing his school memories, Dharmesh said,
Master will beat me and kick me out. And from my window, my uncle would see me outside and shout, ‘You’re making progress!’
In his teenage years, Dharmesh started watching music videos on Vh1 which got him interested in rap. His interest grew when he met MC Mawali and the Swadesi crew.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 7″
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
He was born in a Gujarati family.
Parents & Siblings
Not much is known about his parents and siblings.
Wife
He is not married.
Career
Dharmesh Parmar has been associated with Swadesi, a Mumbai-based multilingual hip-hop collective formed in 2013. As part of the group, Parmar performs alongside MC Mawali, producer of NaaR and Raakshas, and members of other groups such as 100 RBH and Maharya and soon became popular for his harsh 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 gained a huge following. After that, he performed at the WOMEX festival in Spain in 2018 with Viveick Rajagopalan, a percussionist and composer.
Dharmesh Parmar performed on stage
Later, his verses like ‘The Warli Revolt’ (2019) became very popular, and he emerged as a voice fighting for the environment and human rights. In the same year, he was among the 50 rappers who were part of Zoya Akhtar’s film Gully Boy. In the film, he performed on the soundtrack of ‘India 91.’
In 2020, the Swadesi music album ‘Chetavni’ addressed several societal ills. He was also a part of Swadesi’s single titled ‘Plandemic.’ Dharmesh also performed at his college’s Peace Festival in 2021.
Dharmesh Parmar performed in his college days
On March 8, 2022, he released his single ‘Truth and Bass.’ Parmar gave his last performance at the Swadesi Mela in March 2022.
Death
Dharmesh Parmar passed away on 21st March 2022. Mumbai based band ‘Swadesi’ shared the news of his death through their Instagram account. Posting a video clip of Parmar’s last performance at the Swadesi Mela on their Instagram account, the group wrote,
Tonight, @todfod_ performed his last performance at the Swadesi Mela. You have to be there to experience it, the thrill of playing live music. You are never forgotten, you will always live on in your music.”
The group went on to share details about Dharmesh’s last rites. They wrote,
Gather around his home at 2pm on March 21 at the following address for his last rites. Address: Dharmesh Parmar, Old BDD Chawl 13/A, BJ Deorukhkar Road, Naigaon, Dadar, Mumbai 14.”
As soon as the news of his death went viral, many famous faces of the entertainment industry mourned his death. While Indian rapper Raftaar commented ‘Too Soon’ on Swadesi Movement’s Instagram post about Parmar’s death, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh shared a picture of Parmar with a heartbroken emoji on his Instagram story.
Ranveer Singh’s Instagram story about Dharmesh Parmar
Indian actor Siddhant Chaturvedi also took to his Instagram to share a screenshot of his conversation with the late rapper in which they both congratulated each other on their performances. Siddhant posted a picture with the caption,
RIP bro.”
Siddhant Chaturvedi’s Instagram story about Dharmesh Parmar
The cause of his death is still unknown.
Address
Old BDD Chawl 13/A, BJ Deorukhkar Road, Naigaon, Dadar, Mumbai
Favourite
Facts/Trivia
- Dharmesh likes to travel in his spare time.
- Parmar follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He has an inked leaf on his back.
Dharmesh Parmar Tattoo
- Dharmesh is a smoker.
- Parmar was trained in Konnakol.
- He has deep faith in Lord Shiva.
- Dharmesh loves dogs. She often shares pictures of herself with dogs on her social media accounts.
Dharmesh Parmar with a dog
- In an interview, while sharing some fond childhood memories, Dharmesh said,
During Ambedkar Jayanti, we used to have full power celebrations in my area with an orchestra, an appearance by Amitabh Bachchan and dance competitions and drawing competitions for children. We all gathered to participate.”
- As a child, he was so fond of cycling that he used to rent a bike for four rupees an hour. Talking about it in an interview, Dharmesh said,
I spent my childhood renting bikes for four rupees an hour and just riding horses.”
- Despite belonging to a Gujarati family, Dharmesh was not very good at the language as he studied in a convent school. In an interview, talking about how his band inspired him to learn the language and start rapping, he said,
I studied at St Paul’s High School, a convent so I am not fluent in Gujarati. I don’t know how to read or write, but I explore languages, you know. I have a dictionary, and I learn new words and phrases every day.”
- At the beginning of his musical career, Parmar’s songs were usually inspired by beggars, boys smoking weed and hiding from the police, and the hardships of train travel.
- In an interview, Dharmesh revealed that he started going to political rallies at the age of 15 just to earn Rs. 100 and lunch. He said,
When I was 15, my friends and I used to go to political morchas because they used to pay me Rs. 100 and lunch. I don’t care about politics but it’s just rushing.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
