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Wishing all the visitors to this website, a very Happy New year!

May I, also, take this opportunity to thank all the 261 friends who  regularly follow and have made this  the Number One website on Badaga!!

Nearing the milestone of 300,000 hits.

Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash

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‘Save the Nilgiris’ fame, Dharmalingam Venugopal, [Honorary Director, Nilgiri Documentation Centre, Kotagiri] is a man devoted to the development of the Nilgiris – the Blue Mountains known to the Badagas as ‘Nakku Beta’

He is ‘on a mission to put the beleaguered Nilgiris on the world map. Dharmalingam Venugopal is an angry man and is an anguished one too. A Badaga, he has grownup with stories woven around his beloved hills’  [ Read the full article published in The Hindu here].

He is organizing an ‘All India Workshop on Sustainable and Inclusive Mountains Development’ at Ooty from 29th to 31st December, 2013.

[Though he has been kind enough to invite me to this workshop, I am unlucky to miss this great opportunity being out of the mountains – Wg Cdr JP]

In the concept note , it is mentioned that

The object of this workshop is to evolve a framework for such a National Mountain Policy, which may pave the way, among other things, for: 

Undertaking a mountain-state-wise inclusive inventory of the natural and cultural diversity and development challenges of Indian mountains;

Creating a mechanism for continuous and coordinated monitoring of mountain areas;

Providing for appropriate policies and programmes to prevent, mitigate and adapt to climate and land-use  change;

Formulating mountain-specific sustainable development policies based on appropriate emulation of global and domestic ‘good practices’ while at the same time  avoiding corresponding ‘bad practices’;

Ensuring adequate plan and budgetary provision for economic and social infrastructure in mountain areas;

Ensuring adequate funding/compensation for conservation activities in mountain areas based, where appropriate, on payment for ecosystem services or other such fiscal instruments;  and

Launching a massive and effective awareness campaign for conservation and sustainable development in mountains.

‘The broad-based workshop will bring together a compact group of senior officials, professionals, social and natural scientists, environmentalists, writers, journalists, economists and corporate leaders’ like Dr.T.S.Tolia, [Former Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand] , Dr. N.Sundaradevan,[Former Addl. Chief  Secretary, Tamil Nadu], Shri. Sudhirener Sharma [Climate  Himalaya]’ Mrs. Rohini Nilekani,[Chairperson, Arghyam], Dr. SM. Ramasamy [Former Vice Chancellor, Gandhigram Rural Institute],  Dr. O.P.S. Khola [Principal Scientist, Central Soil and Water Conservation and Training Institute, Ooty], Dr. Biswajit Banerjee [Director (Forestry) Planning Commission],  Dr, P.A.  Azeez [Director, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History], Shri. Ramachandra Guha [Environmental  Historian], Dr. Sarala Khalling [Regional Director, Atree, Gangtok]’

For complete details of the Concept Note of this workshop Continue reading →

See below the latest response  ‘From the Heart – from Sengamalam  ]

Do you have something to say?… a thought, a feeling , a comment or for that matter anything straight from your heart.

The direction our community is heading towards?
The “MORAY” system that seems to be a hindrance for many marriages to be fixed?
The ‘fight’ over control of YBA?
The UNFAIR treatment still extended to the fairer sex in our community?
The controversy surrounding equality to NATTARU in out hattis?

[Only request is – to follow the secret of  KISS – ‘Keep it SHORT sweety’]

I have added below the contact/comment ‘form’ where you can fill the details and give your thought or feeling …… a free expression. Please keep it short and do not be offensive.

Responses :

From: Sengamalam [ j_senga@yahoo.co.in]

A feeling
Badaga , the innocent soul
Bagaga, the village joy
Badaga, the sweet raga
Badaga, the NA2
Badaga, the badaga dance
Badaga, the best of all……

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A thought

BABU.M [ byangi_babu@yahoo.co.in]
1.MORAY should be liberal to some extend.
2.STRONG & GOOD DEDICATED Leader is to be found.
3.All are BADUGAS nobody should be seperated.
BADUGU KALACHARA THALAIVARU (like DALAI LAMA) is to be found.

R Haldorai, Principal Correspondent, New Indian Express,
[Kammandu Village, Ketti Post, Nilgiris ] writes :

At the outset, I thank the Badagas of the Blue Mountains for uploading Badaga history without changing the traditional nature of our unique community. I like the word “Ari Gowder-undisputed leader of  Badagas”. We need such kind of  leaders now. This reminds me about unwanted events happened in Young Badaga Association recently. We pray to Hethe Amman through the Badagas of the Blue Mountains to give good leaders like Ari Gowder.

It gives me great pleasure and encouragement to receive such comments from the Principal Correspondent of a National Daily. Thank you very much, Mr.Haldorai for the kind words. As I had explained elsewhere, if this website is able to convey the correct information about the Badagas of the Blue Mountains, then, we have truly achieved our aim. Thanks for all the kind words that give real motivation to do more – Wg Cdr JP

Rao Bahadur H.B.Ari Gowder

Birth anniversary 4th December

Ari Gowder2

For more details about Ari Gowda go here or see Wikipedia

Ari Gauda

[ Ref : Hockings, Paul; Christiane Pilot-Raichoor (1992). A Badaga-English Dictionary. Walter de Gruyter. p. 47. ISBN 311012677X, ISBN 978-3-11-012677-8]

Air Gowder Street in Mambalam, Chennai

A couple of days back, I received the following email from a young mother [name withheld] who wrote to say :

 Dear Sir,
 
It gave immense pleasure for me to visit your website. I was always amazed to know about the community and the culture.

I am a Non Badaga and married last Dec to a Badaga from ………..

And Recently on the ….. of this month I gave birth to
a baby. My husband and my in laws want me to learn Badaga  as I have to talk to the baby in Badaga for her to pick up the language.

Please help me learn the language by sending me some day to day conversations .

Thanks in Advance. Best Regards.

My reply :-

Thanks a lot for your email. I am delighted to learn that you find my website[s] interesting and informative.

 

I have given a few ‘lessons’ about LEARN BADAGA in my websites/blogs. ….

 

When you meet any elder, especially your in-laws and hubby’s grand parents, bow your head and say, ‘Kumbidichivi – meaning bless me. They are expected to touch your head and say, “Badhukku” – long live. You will find that any elder Badaga will be thrilled with this gesture as many do not follow this wonderful custom and your day will be made.

 

As a new mother, for about 40 days after delivering a baby, you are a ‘baththya hemmathi’ with some diet and other restrictions.

 

 “Hosa koosuga, ondhu muthu kodu’ – give the new born baby a kiss.

The following have been taken from my earlier posts

Let us learn Badaga