Category Archives: badaga

A matter of concern is that we still do not have accurate information about our hattis.

Like, the geographical/location of the village, the number of households, in a hatti – how many Nattaru, the marriage relations with other hattis etc. Even in our page on Hattis / villages, I have tried to give details known/available.

The good news is that Prof.Paul Hockings and Christiane Pilot-Raichoor are in the process of updating  their book/encyclopedia  A Badaga – English Dictionary in which they have not only given the names of Badaga Hamlets [hattis] but elaborated them with lot of information.

R.Venkataraman (arewe1946@gmail.com)

comments about our website http://www.badaga.co

‘All the efforts you had taken have started giving fruits. Yeomen service not only to this society, but the outsider also starts knowing about Badagas & their culture’

Thank you very much for your comments. It is highly encouraging words like yours that give the motivation to do more.

The surprising fact is that many aspects of daily life and times of Badagas in the good old days of hundred of years back still remain to be unearthed and properly documented.

I have no hesitation to accept the fact that Badagas are one of the original and indigenous  tribes of the Nilgiri hills.

French researcher on Badaga Christiane Pilot Raichoor says with authority that Badaga language is not a derivative/dialect of Kannada recently. Many Badagas are not even aware of this fact.

– Wg Cdr JP

Vote for Ooty Nomination  

Public Meeting Notice & Invitation

Monday, April 25, 2016 at 4-00pm, Independence Park,

Near Old ATC Theatre, Ooty

Dharmalingam Venugopal

Independent Candidate

My dear Voters of Ooty,

I will be filing my nomination for the Ooty constituency on Monday,  April 25, 2016. Last two months I have been going around the entire constituency carrying the message of ‘Vote for Ooty’.  The response has been both heart rending (at the utter neglect of Ooty and surroundings) and heartwarming (at the support for my humble effort to rally the local people to stem this unbearable rot).

I have made bold to contest the coming elections not for any pleasure but out of pain. By doing this I have only given expression to the urge that has been simmering in the hearts of most citizens of Ooty and Ooty constituency.

Mere intentions cannot bring about a change. Everyone must be prepared to play his or part. Intentions become movements when the first few dare to come out into the open to endorse the righteousness of the intentions.

I appeal to the young and old, men and women, rich and poor,  farmers and traders, professionals, hoteliers, tourism operators and everyone to come to the Public Meeting at 4- 00 pm at Independence Park (near old ATC Theatre) on Monday the 25^th of April,2016.  Your small gesture to be with us on that day will matter a lot to the future of OOty.

I shall announce  the Ooty Manifesto at the meeting. All participants are welcome to speak at the meeting to add, amend or improve the manifesto.

The crying need of this country, especially our state Tamil Nadu, is for some honest, upright and uncorrupt independent persons to get elected to the state assemblies. Since these individuals will have no constraints of a political party and hence  are not expected to keep their mouths closed both inside and outside these ‘law making institutions’, we can hope to hear the voice for development.

Venugopal is a man of courage and conviction.  The very fact that he has taken the bold step of contesting the forth coming elections on his own , speaks volumes about his commitment.

I whole heartedly support his candidature and appeal to all voters of Ooty constituency to work, vote and elect Dharmalingam VENUGOPAL as THE M.L.A.

Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash  (www.badaga.co)

Have been following the election scenario in our Nilgiris District with interest and concern. More concern than interest, in fact.

 With these m.ks [pun intended] – so called munnetra kazhagams, our blessed state, once proudly called Madras Presidence, has turned all of us into corrupt disgusting, spineless, feet licking weirdos.

 

Unfortunately, with their money and muzzle power, they have made this state such  a corrupt one where self respecting, service minded people may find it extremely difficult to get elected as independent individuals in the elections.

 

With Badagas, so thoroughly divided on party lines, we can safely assume that there will not be any unity among the community. [YBA is a ‘living’ example of how personal interests can suffocate social services]

 

Wg Cdr JP

Arise! Awake!! Young Badaga Association
I venture to make the following representation on the basis of five qualifications:
1) I am a Badaga of 60 plus years

Continue reading →

Benign Goddess ‘Maasi Hethe’

by

Dr.R.K.Haldorai,
(haldoraitamil@gmail.com)

1. Beacon-light

We have all come here with pure mind Let us sing in praise of Hethe
We are presented clothes, water and food
Hethai is reputed for Her magnanimity
She is the foremost among noble women
She is the beacon light of our race.

2. Glory

Glory to You, Oh ‘Maasi Hethe’
We are singing Your praise
To unburden our ego
Your zeal towards Your devotees
Is so well renounced
Your glory defies our comprehension
Glory to You Oh ‘Maasi Hethe’

3. Contentment

When we sing the glory of Maasi Hethe
We shall not indulge in gossip
Nor perform actions which are taboo
Of alms and gifts, we shall give liberally
We shall follow the path of a life
Of contentment and happiness
We sing the glory of Maasi Hethe

Continue reading →

I have always been saying that what we know about Badaga is much less than what we DO NOT know about Badaga, both people and language. That is true of not only the past but the present too.

I have come across this catchy Badaga song, ‘HOLAYYA’  on the youtube, which the singer cum producer PRANESH RAGUNATH describes as a new era Badaga song. This is part of the album “HATTI KOOSU”.

Hatti Koosu – means a village boy and the song Holayya gives a subtle but necessary social message to a Badaga girl, ‘why you should marry a Badaga boy’.

The title ‘Holayya’ is misunderstood by some. Holayya simply means an outsider and was freely used by Badagas in earlier days. Though now, a politically correct word like ‘naadu jena’ is used more often.

For a Badaga, there are only two types of people. Either a Badaga [native] or a Holayya [outsider – that included everybody from a brahim to a dalit]. The word is definitely not meant to be racist. It just identifies a Badaga from others.

Listen to this modern, or rather New Era Badaga song here.

Badaga Proverbs

Click here for more

Badagas of the blue mountains in The Nilgiris of Southern India,  99% Hindus, worship the female deity HETHAI/HETHEY [pronounced as heth’thay] as their main goddess.. Hethey literally means grandmother. But the ones revered as Goddess’ are all young and referred as MAYADHA KANNI (mysterious woman).

Though every Badaga village called hatti,  has one or more than one Hindu temple, there are ONLY three main HETHEY temples, located in Beraganni, Peddhuva and Jakkadha, all in the Porangadhu Seemay  (Badaga hattis are divided into four seemays in  The Nilgiris, called Naakku(four) Betta (mountains). Beraganni and Pedduva Hetheys are sisters. There are , of course, a few more Hethey temples in other seemays like in Ketti.

Due to an unwritten restriction and age old tradition, no new Hethey temples can be built in any hatti. The week long festival celebrated as Hethey Habba that falls in December/January once a year, is the biggest one.

But, unfortunately, the Hethey temples and the associated festivals have many restrictions for women – MAINLY FOR WOMEN.

I have asked many well meaning and devoted [to Hethey] Badagas ‘why these restrictions have been imposed on women’ but could not get any convincing answers.

There is a raging debate going on about entry of women into Iyappa Temple in Sabari Malai [Kerala].

Societies are changing  and equal rights to women cannot be denied or delayed.

On this women’s day, let us pray to goddess Hethey and hope that the restrictions imposed be removed.

There cannot be any bar in/on FAITH!