Padmanabhan writes about Mr.MK Bellie Gowder’s manuscripts…….

Dear JP anna…

MK Nanja Gowder, the younger brother of MK Bellie Gowder, was my maternal grandfather. Right from my childhood, he used to relate stories to me from Bellie ayya’s works. He told me that, Bellie ayya had one day called him (Nanja ayya) to discuss in private about one of his manuscripts. He had asked Nanja ayya to go through the entire manuscript for his personal consumption and at the end of which, he requested Nanja ayya to destroy the manuscript. Nanja ayya, told me that it was the History of Badagas. The reason, he said, why Bellie ayya wanted it to be destroyed is because he believed that it would bring undesired division among’st Badagas.

Now I am not sure if the manuscript that I am talking about (History of Badagas) is different from the Badaga ‘clans/kolas’ manuscript that you say could probably be in possession of Dr Hockings. It would be great service to the Badaga community if the original manuscript is made public, if it does exist.

Regards … PADMANABHAN

Hi Paddy, Thank you very much for this great info. When I mentioned that Prof.Paul Hockings ‘papers’/books could have taken a lot of info from Mr.Bellie Gowder’s manuscripts, I am only ‘guessing’. Though, Mr.Bellie Gowder might have had ‘some’ reasons to destroy his manuscript, I hope and pray that the original has survived. It would be a great source to learn about our Badaga Community. – Wg Cdr JP