Category Archives: badaga

LIVING GODS – வாழும் தெய்வங்கள்  – Raghu Joghee in Facebook

photo – Raghu Joghee

Doddamanae is the house which is constructed first in a hatty. All the rituals take place over there. The doddamanae in the hatty Kannerimukku which belongs to to Porangadu seemay is believed to be older than 500 years. The present heir to the Doddamanae is Ajjaya(81) and Kadigi Hethae (75) who haven’t renovated the house still and are devotedly believing in rituals and are following them still. They are no less than any god or goddess because of their reknowned devotion. Indeed, they are living gods.

The World Tea & Coffee Expo and Conference was held in Mumbai last week for 3 days(20-22, October). Around 70 Companies have exhibited their produces in the event highlighting mostly Speciality Teas.

Tea Board of India  allotted a stall in its pavillion to the Nilgiris Small Tea Growers to exhibit their products. Hubbathalai N Sivan, [Promoter & Social Entrepreneur,  OOTYFRESH Speciality Nilgiris Teas Project,  Nilgiris Tea Development Foundation(NTDF)], took two progressive small tea growers to the event and displayed their Speciality Handmade Green Teas  alongwith his OOTYFRESH Speciality Nilgiris Tea (premium  White Teas, Green Teas, Orthodox Teas,etc).

Since he was also  invited as a Speaker  he presented a paper on Vision and Mission on Nilgiris Small Tea Growers for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Developments.

A large number of Badagas still depend on tea for their primary source of income and livelihood . I am in agreement with Siva when he says that there is tremendous future for our Nilgiris Speciality Teas in India and Abroad and it is high time that our community should wakeup and venture into this atleast now for our sustainable livelihood through our tea gardens. – Wg Cdr JP

Hubbathalai N Sivan  [ sivan@ootyfresh.in ] can be contacted at  Ph-9443856694 / 9843908540

Recently, came across the following news item published in the Deccan Chronicle dt 27-07-2016.

OOTY: While a grateful nation is preparing itself to pay homage to “People’s President” A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, on his first death anniversary on Wednesday, here in the hills M.N.Bojan, a Badaga octogenarian, former President’s college and hostel mate at St.Josephs’ College in early 1950s, remembers how Kalam relished “Thupathittu or Yennaiittu” a traditional sweet of the Badagas of Nilgiris and how they enjoyed outings for coffee and chips in Tiruchy.

A retired teacher now, .Bojan (85), hailing from Kadanadu near here, is preparing for a `puja’ on Wednesday at his home to pay homage to his friend.

I was quite excited to see my teacher Kadanaadu Bhoja Bhaathiyaaru in the picture. He taught us English and couple of other subjects at Rao Bahadur Board High School, Hubbathalai in early 1960s.

Hope to meet him and pay my grateful respects in person! – Wg Cdr JP

This site is dedicated to my mother, Idyammal Bellie Gowder

Born into the richest family of the Badagas in 1912, forced to marry at the age of fifteen, to a poor but educated man who was eighteen years elder, just to honour and the keep the words of your father Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowda, from a sick bed,  you suffered in silence and bravely accepted all the short comings of life.

Though you were the youngest among five brothers, you were not given any share of your father’s property of nearly 950 acres of land and many houses spread around the Nilgiris, Nakku Betta, because you were a girl child.

But, your eldest brother, the great Ari Gowda, the undisputed leader of Badagas for many years – till his death in 1971, was a constant help and support inspite of opposition from the next generation of male members.

Ida – Kaday (Idyammal) in 1927

Though you were the unifying force of Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowder family of Hubbathalai, you ignored the ridicule and became a role model of determination showing exceptional leadership qualities.

The suffering and hardship did not deter you to educate each and every child, both boys and girls numbering eight, sending all to colleges [including one to a medical and another to engineering].

Your 99 years and ten months of life, was full of wisdom and a source of inspiration to children,  grand children and great grand children living all around the world.

Ide Hethe (Idyammal) in 2010

Oh mother, I touch your feet and seek your blessings wherever you are!

ENGELLAVA OLLENGAY BADUKKU ENDHU HARACHCHU, THAAYEY !!

Students contest for Mountain Day

Dharmalingam Venugopal
Nilgiri Documentation Centre

The United Nations designated  “International Mountain Day” is observed every year on December 11 to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.

The topic for this year is “Mountain Cultures: celebrating diversity and strengthening identity”.

The Nilgiri Documentation Centre has been celebrating Mountain Day since its inception in 2002.

This year NDC proposes to organize a competition for Nilgiri students on the topic, “The Nilgiri Mountains- A Marvel of Cultural Mosaic”.

The Nilgiris is a unique case where tradition, modernity and change have marched together for centuries producing a remarkable integration of cultural diversity. Nevertheless, newer changes and challenges are bound to occur in the future. How the present student community which will be called upon to manage those challenges in the future is of utmost importance to the Nilgiris.

The competition for students (both school and college going) will cover writing (prose and poetry), painting and elocution. Certificate of participation and suitable prizes for winners will be presented on December 11 at the Mountain Day function. Details will be informed after receipt of entry applications.

Students desirous of participating may contact dharmalingamvenu@gmail.com or 9444365360 at the earliest.

The tea grown in the Nilgiris is mainly due the tireless efforts of the hardworking Badaga community with their small tea holdings [tea estates called ‘Thotta’]. Unfortunately, like in many parts of the country, these small tea growers – farmers who sell the green tea leaves plucked from their small and tiny tea estates to the local Tea Factories, have been getting a raw deal due to the cartelization and the middle men, the so called tea brokers along with a ‘could not care less’ attitude of the Tea Board.

Many, in sheer desperation and disgust, have sold their land [tea estates] to property developers or abandoned the idea of growing tea. Needless to add, they are always at the ‘receiving end’.

Though a few informed ‘elders’ like Hubbathalai Siva have been trying their best to get a better price for the small tea growers, no substantial benefits have resulted so far. Will there be a better tomorrow that can bring cheers with chai? – Wg Cdr JP

Sivan and others meeting the Union Commerce secretary at Ooty on the eve of IITC -2016

My first visit to a Literary Festival

10 random or reckless thoughts

Dharmalingam Venugopal

Though I have been in Madras (I do not prefer to use the word Chennai) for 40 years I have not attended a single Literary Festival.

Today I attended the Ooty Literary Festival lured by the inclusion of ‘Ooty’ to the title. My humble impressions.

1. Since I came to learning much later in life I was always overawed of ‘Writers’. Always images of Socrates or Karl Marx jumped to my mind. I have imagined writers to be kind of military generals determined to cleanse men and women and change society. But I was in for kind of little shock today. It appeared anyone could become a writer provided he or she could think of a marketable idea, write something, have it corrected by a copy editor and find a publisher who could make the cover more attractive than the book.

2. I was welcomed by two persons whom I could not recall of ever been associated with books or literature. I realized that they were merely trying to fill up the hall. Being a member of patron of Nilgiri Library is indeed like a Honorary Degree of Letters.

3. I learnt that the topic for a writer today is immaterial. It could be on global or local catastrophe or how to reduce your waist line or how you eat your ice-cream or view your cinema. It’s always man or mankind who are the villains; not you and me. I confessed to one man, probably a Writer, that my grandfather had 10 children but lived in a house of 600 sqft while I have no children but live in a house of 2000 sqft. If a native of Kotagiri could be so guilty of ‘over consumption’ why blame the world. Those I put the question slipped away; evidently their houses must be not less than 5000 sqft!!!

4. Literature, I thought, was for all classes. But Literary Festivals, it looked , are definitely for the higher classes. The writers mostly were in expected casuals (humility in dress at least) and the moderators were all in status-suits and fine silks befitting their rank and class. There were a sprinkling of middle class in the audience. Where are the poor? Are there no ‘Gana literature’? The oral and epic literature of the Badagas and Todas had been described by scholars as exceptionally unique and profound. Do they not merit a mention in the Literary Festival in their own soil?

This beautiful description of a LITFEST reflects the feelings of many like me, the Tamil medium [in school] types, who long to see and hear the ‘local liteaure of of Badagas and Todas’ being discussed. Since my knowledge on the Toda language is limited, I can vouch for the great and unique Badaga [mainly oral] literature. The Badaga ballads like Beradha Bellie, Koli Thippae , Udugu Jogi, Kara Chennae etc., can not only bring the best of human feelings but also reflects the life of tribals  in those days in the Nilgiri hills much before  any British or  missionary ever came to ‘this unspoilt piece of paradise on earth’ – Wg.Cdr.JP

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Dr.Haldorai, along with Nellikolu Trust has been doing a great service to Badaga Community.

Kiya Kauhatti Dr.Haldorai (married from Hubbathalai Ooru), also a scholar in Tamil, has written many books on and about Badaga, the unique & one of the original tribes of the Nilgiri Hills and Badaga (Badagu), the language. Nellikolu Trust has been publishing his books and making it available at an affordable price.

Of late, Dr.Haldorai has revived the traditional Badaga Ballads like ‘Koli Tippae‘ and ‘Udugu Jogi‘ and given them both in Badaga [used Tamil Script] and in Tamil translation. Obviously, the trigger seems to be a gifted lady – Devhennu, wife of Jogi Gowder, from Kekkatti and daughter of Nunduva Nanjaiyya, who can sing Badaga Ballads in her beautiful voice. Nanduva Nanjaiyya Rama mentions that when she sings these Badaga ballads like the story of the sufferings of Koli Thippae, ‘everyone is touched and eyes wellup with tears’.

The stories of ‘Koli Thippae’ and ‘Udugu Jogi, recorded by Nellikolu Trust and written by Dr.Haldorai from the songs of Devhennu are indeed treasures that we can be proud of.

You would have  been 104 today!

A journey that was extraordinary ! A life full of challenges !!

But you never gave up !

The steely determination with which you faced  fate and life, is an inspiration for many generations!!

Happy birthday to Mrs.Idyammal [Idy Hethe], wherever you are!!

Keekiri Awai, missing you with sorrow, thinking of you with nostalgia, remembering you with love.
Continue to bless us – Indu.K.Mallah

Happy Birthday Idiyammal Hethe. You look so bright and beautiful in the photograph. Your radiance is so transparent. Probably every wrinkle on your face has untold stories and events. May you live in the hearts of all Badaga women and keep blessing – Rajma