Hirandas Murali (born 25 October 1994), known professionally as Vedan, is an Indian rapper and songwriter from Kerala, India. He is best known for his tracks, "Kuthanthram" (from "Manjummel Boys"), "Kondal Vedan Song" (from "Kondal"), "La Vida", "Mauna Loa", and "Voice of Voiceless". His songs often address themes of savarna caste politics, class, and resistance, and span both independent releases and contributions to Malayalam cinema. In 2025, he was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist.
Early life
Vedan was born in Thrissur, Kerala. His mother, an Eelam Tamil from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, migrated to Ooty, Tamil Nadu, during the Sri Lankan civil war. She was granted asylum in India and later received Indian citizenship from the Government of India. Vedan’s father, Murali, is a Malayali from the Paniya community and a native of Thrissur. Vedan spent his childhood in a residential complex called Swapnabhoomi, located near the Thrissur railway station.
His early musical influences included Tamil hip-hop artists such as Yogi B, Natchatra, and Dhilip Varman, as well as international musicians like Michael Jackson and Bob Marley. He gave his first public performance of an original composition during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Fort Kochi.
