Monthly Archives: June 2020

About twenty years back, there was hardly any information about Badagas on the internet. The only website one could access was probably badaga.com . Then, I started my weblogs and websites like http://www.badaga-general.blogspot.com , http://www.badaga.co , http://www.badaga.in etc.What I started as a hobby became an obsession and now http://www.badaga.co has more than 711,000 hits.

And, there is much information on Badagas available on the net with many websites and (youtube ) videos. Social media like FB, Whatsapp etc have plenty of Badaga related information.

There is an exclusive Badaga TV channel – Nakkubetta TV

But, What has impressed me is the effort of a few talented Badaga youngsters in high lighting the positive sides of Badaga community by posting about ‘Role Model’ videos of great Badagas, which are inspirational and motivating,

One such talented person is KALLAKORAI SANJEEV RAMESH

He writes about himself :  Born on-11/05/1995, I hail from kallakorai village near Melur Palada. Parents are Ramesh and Sagunthala. My younger sister is Jayshree ( working in MNC company)

I did my schooling and college from Ooty and Coimbatore . Two years back I started my professional career from Byjus.

Growing up , our culture had always fascinated me . For instance the simplicity and mutual bond which we all share with each other , if emulated could bring in harmony and peace every where. Then there was always this thought that I donot know enough about my culture , this is the state in which most of the people of my age are currently at so, I decided to do something from my part .

I and my friend Deepak have  started making videos about our community in our own language . To make a short crisp informative video I have to do proper research which inturn helped me immensely to know about us in a better way . It’s been a very short journey which I have travelled , but the learning and exploration had been wonderful .

Lastly, I’m really grateful to your initiative ayya . Your website http://www.badaga.co has been a gem to know about our community. Thank you.

You can access Sanjeev’s videos in youtube ->
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7pW2FE4mjs6oV4BjTKywxw

நீலகிரி கூட்டுறவு விற்பனை சங்கம் NCMS -ன் நிறுவனரும், படுக சமுதாயத்தின் முதல் பட்டதாரி மற்றும் முதல்  சட்டமன்ற. உறுப்பினருமான அய்யா.தெய்வத்திரு.எச்.பி.ஆரிகவுடர் அவர்கள் 28-06-1971 -ல் தெய்யத்துள் தெய்வமாகி 49 வருடத்தின் நினைவஞ்சலி தினம் இன்று  என்.சி.எம்.எஸ் வளாகத்தில் உள்ள அய்யா.ஆரிகவுடர் சிலைக்கு மாலை அணிவித்து,  ஆரிகவுடர் நினைவு விழாக்குழு சார்பிலும், என்.சி.எம்.எஸ் நிர்வாகத்தின் சார்பிலும் இன்று 28-06-2020-ல் அனுஷ்டிக்கப்பட்டது.         நினைவுநாள் நிகழ்ச்சிக்கு நீலகிரி ஆதிவாசிகள் சக்தி அமைப்பின் தலைவர்,பேராசியர்.குள்ளாகவுடர் தலைமை வகித்தார்.           

நீலகிரி கூட்டுறவு விற்பனை சங்கத்தின் பெருந்தலைவர் திரு.பி.மணியட்டி.ராமன் அவர்கள் சிறப்பு விருந்தினராக கலந்துக்கொண்டு, மாலை அணிவித்து  நினைவுநாள் சொற்பழிவாற்றி சிறப்பித்தார்.                                     

முன்னதாக நினைவு நாள் நிகழ்ச்சிக்கு வந்தவர்களை ஆரிகவுடர் நினைவு விழாக்குழுத் தலைவரும், படுக தேச பார்ட்டி யின் நிறுவன தலைவருமான திரு.மஞ்சை.வி.மோகன் அவர்கள் வரவேற்றார். 

 முடிவில் என்.சி.எம்.எஸ் நிறுவன செயலாளர் திரு.ஐயப்பன் நன்றியுரையாற்றினார்.                                                                                       

இந் நிகழ்ச்சியில் காத்தாடி மட்டம் மேற்குநாடு மெட்ரிக்குலேஷன் பள்ளியின் தளாளர். திரு.பூபதி, என்.சி.எம்.எஸ். அலுவலர்கள் திரு.போஜன், திரு.ரவி.திரு.அலெக்ஸ் உட்பட பலர் நினைவஞ்சலி நிகழ்ச்சியில் கலந்துக்கொண்டனர்.

Mr.Ramakrishna of Nakkubetta TV broadcast a special programme on Air Gowder ‘Has Ari Gowder’s dreams been realised?‘ in the evening

https://www.facebook.com/NakkubettaTV/videos/3013681178686294

Homage to Rao Bahadur H.B.Ari Gowder

To-Day, 28 June 2020, is the 49th death anniversary of the greatest Badaga Leader H.B.Ari Gowder.

We pay our humble homage 

From the book ” A BADAGA – ENGLISH DICTIONARY ” by Prof.Paul Hockings and Christiane Pilot-Raichoor

The story of Ariya Gowda

by Sriram V [The Hindu]

Ari Gowder was President of the Backward Classes League and leaned towards the Justice Party

The chances of anyone travelling down Ariya Gowda Road in West Mambalam, and stopping to wonder about the identity of the man who gave the thoroughfare its name, are slim. For when you are on Ariya Gowda Road, you are focused on getting out of the road alive, given its traffic.

He was not Ariya Gowda. He was HB Ari Gowder, a great visionary and leader of the Badaga community of the Nilgiris. And his life, as gleaned from various sources, including a 1935 Who’s Who and the internet, makes for interesting reading.

Rao Bahadur Hubbathalai J Bellie Gowder, made his fortune in laying the tracks of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, which was completed in 1908. His wealth made him a leading member of his community, and his clansmen came to him for advice on several issues. Bellie Gowder founded a free school in his native village, Hubbathalai, an institution that still functions. He passed away in 1935.

Bellie Gowder’s son, Ari, was born in 1893. His father ensured that he was educated in the modern sense and he graduated from Madras Christian College. Though he was to consider himself a contractor and a planter, it was in politics and social uplift that Ari Gowder was to make a mark. In 1923, he became the first Badaga to be elected to the Madras Legislative Council of which he was a member until 1934. In the 1940s, he was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly. When the Rajaji government introduced Prohibition in 1937, he led the challenge of enforcing it in the Nilgiris, of which area he was also the first non-official to become District Board President. Ari Gowder was also active in the Scouts Movement. Another contribution of his was the establishment of the Nilgiris Cooperative Marketing Society, which eliminated the stranglehold middlemen had over the simple mountain people. He was also a Director of the Badaga Land Mortgage Bank.

While the sympathies of most of his community lay with the Congress, Ari Gowder, given that he was President of the Backward Classes League, leaned more towards the Justice Party, which was active till the 1930s. That probably explains the road in Mambalam being named after him. Neighbouring Theyagaroya Nagar or T Nagar, developed in the 1920s when the Justice Party was in power and most of the roads, parks and streets there are named after its leaders. Legend also has it that a large chunk of land adjoining the Mambalam Railway Station was his, which he donated for developmental work. Like his father, Ari Gowder too received the title of Rao Bahadur from the British Government, in 1943.

In 1946, Ari Gowder was defeated in the Assembly elections. But in 1952 he contested successfully as an independent. He was to remain an independent for the rest of his career. He passed away in 1971.

How did Ari Gowder Road morph into Ariya Gowda Road? And should it not be just Ari Road?

The Hindu : Cities / Chennai : The story of Ariya Gowda.

  To read more about Ari Gowda go here

There are many Badagas spread around the globe, who are highly talented. Radhakrishna Mathan from Kil Kundha is one such gentleman.

Radhakrishnan (fondly called as MRK), had his schooling at Kil-Kundah  and Coonoor. Graduated from PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore and moved on to Chennai for his post-graduation in Social Work at Madras School of Social Work, a prestigious institution for social work education in South India. He specialized in Personnel Management

Ever since, he has been having a successful career in Human Resource Management field for the past 38 Years.

He owes much to his parents for his upbringing, education and success in his career. He is blessed with a loving wife and two sons and based at Chennai since 2002. 

He was the founding President of Badaga Association, Hosur. Has been an active member in Badagar Welfare Association of Chennai (BWACH) and was the Secretary of the body for 4 years till 2020. He was at the helm of affairs to successfully conduct the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the association in 2019, a landmark event for the pioneering association of our community.

He is very passionate about music of late, started singing on stage. He prefers to sing mostly the numbers by the legendary singer of yester years P.B.Srinivos as his preferred voice. He had also had the opportunity to perform on stage in the presence of the legends, Shri.M.S.Viswanathan and Shri.P.B.Srinivos,  way back in 2007.  His hobbies include drawing and painting.

His long time passion is to recreate some of the popular melodies from Hindi and Tamil film music with lyrics in Baddaga Language purely as an experiment. With this effort he has recently written and sung the song “Ninagagi Naanu, Enagagi Neenu” with  the background of a very popular old Hindi melody which has caught of the attention of music lovers across our community.

Click this link to listen to his song here Nine Gaagi

He can be reached by email at  radsmrk2012@gmail.com  and by mobile at +919840197788

Dr. R. Rajammal, who is a President Awardee, Woman Achiever, Educationist & Social Ambassador, from Kethorai is well known to all of us.

She writes,

On 8th of June, I had the opportunity to meet Madam INNOCENT DIVYA, IAS, District Collector of our beautiful Nilgiris.In fact it was a long awaited moment. I just wanted to congratulate her for the wonderful services rendered to Nilgiris and Nilgirians. She was very receptive. Too simple and humble. I had an interaction for about 15 minutes. No doubt, she is a WONDER WOMAN…! On request she accepted to wear the shawl, like Badagas, a token of respect for our community. I loved it. I will very happy if you could post it in your web site. I think she deserves this appreciation.

I and my wife had met Ms. Innocent Divya during the death anniversary -ceremony of Rao Bahadur Ari Gowder, organised by the NCMS at Ooty and had a long interaction with her. Highly impressed with her and her plans for the Nilgiris. Her actions during this Covid -19 pandemic are highly appreciated. – Wg.Cdr.JP