Category Archives: badaga

Badaga – Tamil – English Dictionary

Having gone through this dictionary (priced at Rs.600, purchased from Mr Maathu, who was kind enough to have it delivered to me at Coonoor) and can say without any hesitation that this book must find a place in every Badaga household. – Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash

Badaga Maatterisi

(Published by Nelikolu Charitable Trust)

Trilingual Dictionary of the Badaga language
by Dr.Haldorai and others

(Dr.Haldorai Writes) The role of the dictionary in language development is significant. A dictionary gives all or most of the words of a language in alphabetical order with meaning. The richness or strength of a language is made up of its words. Thus, a dictionary which contains units of language (words) does fully show the richness or the strength of the language. That is why the Nelikolu Charitable Trust opts a dictionary that is ideal for displaying all of the Badaga language resources. It is said that knowledge of grammar, etymology, linguistic study and compilation of words are the core skills for a dictionary making.

The Nelikolu Charitable Trust has been actively pursuing the dictionary project by setting up a dictionary team which contains persons of these four skills. Our objective is that the new Dictionary, a fully Badaga initiative, would be more comprehensive, user-friendly and accessible even to those with limited or no knowledge of English.

Badagas have long been associated with the Blue Mountains. Thus Badagas’ knowledge related to Blue Mountains is enormous. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Badaga language will be very helpful to know the matters related to the Blue Mountains in full. This Badaga dictionary contains a lot of matters related to Badagas way of life besides news related to the Blue Mountains as well as.

This dictionary is a supplement to school and college textbooks; a repository of words that Badaga singers want; a rare treasury for those who want to know the wonderful nuances of the Badaga language; the crutch of levelling the ever-changing culture; above all, it is the life saving medicine that keeps the Badaga language on life from its present endangering path.

As a result of more than a decade of dedicated work on the Badaga dictionary, it has evolved into a 920 page dictionary volume with over 17,000 main entries and 5000 sub entries. In addition to this 24 pages of preface and 176 pages of appendixes, it became a big volume with 1120 pages.

The main author of the Badaga – Tamil _ English Dictionary is Dr.R.K.HALDORAI who is a founder member of Nelikolu Charitable Trust

(I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Haldorai, a few times, a very nice and humble gentleman. A few lines about him. – Wg Cdr JP)

After his schooling from Kil Cowhatty and Nanjanad, he did his graduation (in Tamil) from Govt. Arts College Ooty, did his M.O.L. (Master of Oriental Language, Tamil)- Annamalai University, B.Ed. & M.Ed. – Annamalai University and M.A. (Gandian Thought) – Madurai Kamaraj University, Ph.D. – Madras University.

Born in 1952, Dr.Haldorai, M.A., M.Ed., M.O.L.,Ph.D, a highly educated Badaga, is from Kiya Cowatty (Muthorai) and lives in Tambaram, Chennai .
He is married to M.Shanthi, B.Com. (Kunna Hubbathalai) and has a daughter Dr.H.Gayathri, (Siddha Medical Practicenor).

He was a Lecturer in Tamil, Govt. R.C College of commerce, Bangalore (1977 – 1979).And held the post of Special Grammar Compiler, Directorate of Tamil Etymological Dictionary Project, Govt. of Tamilnadu

Dr. Haldorai knows Kannada (speak, read and write), Malayalam and Telugu (read and write).
Done Certificate Courses in Hindi & Sanskrit.

Work done on Badaga

1. Ph.D. in comparative linguistics (Badaga-Tamil Linguistic study)
2. Editor : mandadamaattu, a quarterly magazine, twenty three issues published(1991 – 1997), on behalf of Badagar Welfare Association, Chennai
3. Introduced modified Tamil Letters to Badaga, conducted classes to students and others.
4. Revived the Good old Badaga Calendar system and printed Calendars for the past five years
   Minorities, New Delhi, thrice representing Badaga

Books Published on Badaga: Thirteen (9 in Tamil, 4 in English)

1. Badagumozhi Palamozhigal (Badaga Proverbs) (Tamil & English meanings), 2003
2. Hethe Deyvam( Mother goddess of the Badagas) (Tamil), 2004
3. Badagu oru diravida mozhi (Badaga a Dravidian Language) (Tamil), 2006
4. Badagar Thirumanam (Badaga Marriage) (Tamil), 2006
5. Badagar Theer Tirupatti (Badaga Funerals) (Tamil), 2007
6. Badagar Aruvadait Thirunaal (Harvest Festival of Badagas) (Tamil), 2008
7. Badagar Samaya Nambikkai (Religious Beliefs of Badagas) (Tamil), 2009
8. Badagar Panpaadu (Badaga culture) (Tamil), 2012
9. Badagar (Translation) (Tamil and English), 2016

1. Goddess Hethe of the Nilgiri Badagas, 2005

2.Marriage among the Nilgiri Badagas, 2006

3.Badaga –English Self Instructor, 2009

4. A Practical Key to the Badaga Language, 2011

Dr. Haldorai has published numerous articles in English and has presented many papers in Dravidian Linguists Association, Thiruvananthapuram

Obituary of Dr. William (Bill) Allister Noble

William (Bill) Allister Noble, affectionately known as Sandy, 89, of Albuquerque, NM passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 31, 2021.

Bill was born on April 20, 1932, in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India during the British Raj. He was the youngest of four children born to Dr. William Alexander Noble and Etna Dodd Noble. His father was a Salvation Army missionary doctor who ran the Catherine Booth Hospital in Nagercoil from 1921 to 1960. Bill’s family lived on the grounds of the hospital which were always bustling with patients, their families, and hospital staff. He and his brother attended Breeks, a boys boarding school in Ootacamund, nestled in
the highland forest adjacent to botanical gardens. It was there that he developed a deep love for nature and for the area’s indigenous tribes like Badagas, Todas, Kothas & Kurumas; specifically, the Toda tribe who had a hamlet next to his school.

At 18 he left India for the United States where he earned a BA and MA in Geography from the University of Georgia in Athens. While married to Louisa Booth he completed his PhD in Cultural Geography/Anthropology from Louisiana State University in 1968. He spent his career working as a professor at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He retired in 1996 and moved to Bend, to be near family.

Bill had incredible curiosity, a passion for research, and a love of nature photography and all inhabitants of the natural world. He considered India his spiritual home and focused his academic research on India and the Toda. He published widely and collaborated often. His areas of expertise included Toda architecture, temporal changes in grasslands, early agriculture, Hindu
temples, Nilgiri geology, centered courtyards, peasant dwellings, knives, prehistoric ruins, tribal settlement patterns, and the evolution of the Toda from nomadic buffalo herders to farmers. He photographed “Sati” memorials across India, a Hindu practice in which a widow sacrifices herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. In the United States, he published articles on bristlecone pines, tobacco barns in Missouri, and an Antebellum plantation in Georgia. He dedicated time to researching impatiens that occur on the coasts of both India and Africa to further support the idea of continental drift, and the long-range, high-altitude migrations of certain bird species.

When his daughters were young, he took advantage of his summers off to take them on two six-week camping trips across the American Southwest. Other adventures with him included trips to India, China, and the Galapagos. He was the parent who arrived with his sleeping bag and a list of esoteric adventures to occupy the month ahead. They were always chasing down a rare
flower, migrating birds, or an endemic mammal – sometimes with no luck. He could sleep anywhere and made friends wherever he went. He was our greatest fan and lifelong cheerleader. His daughters are grateful that he moved to Albuquerque to be part of their lives for the past decade.

Bill is preceded in death by his sister Dorothy Floyd of Atlanta, GA, his brother John Noble of Bend, OR, and Charlie Noble who died in childhood. He is survived by his daughters Catherine Noble (Nick Nuccio) and Jennifer Noble, two grandchildren, Sophie Nuccio and Max Noble, five nephews, and a niece.

His daughters add : We wish to thank his numerous caretakers for their tireless loving care and friendships.

We plan to fulfill his wish to scatter his ashes on Mukurthi peak in South India in 2023.

A celebration of his life will be held in Albuquerque, on June 11th. Contact his daughters for details.

Badaga Flag has been designed & developed by Ganesh Ramalingam, in line with the culture and customs of Badagas.

(Badaga Day is celebrated on 15th May every year)

Ganesh Ramalingam has not only taken the complete initiative to get Scheduled Tribe status for Badagas but also doing a lot to the community, in consultation with elders, spread around the Nakku Betta.

Wishing you all a very happy Badaga Day – 15 May 2023

Rajarishi Devarajan is Grand Son of Erstwhile Nilgiri Teacher’s Guild President – Late, Retired High School HM – JB Mathan (aka JBM). and Son of M. Devarajan ( Kil Kundah Village) and Nalini (Kotagiri)

Through All India Engineering Entrance Exam he entered NIT Trichy to do B-Tech in ECE -. After working at LG Electronics -Banglore with Short stint in South Korea on deputation – he resigned his Job to give GRE & TOEFL Exam and Scored 323 / 340 marks..

Subsequently he joined Heidelberg University Germany for his Masters.

He did his thesis in wireless Technology, for Sony Europe and his work was recognized by Sony Europe for filing patent rights.

In 2021 the patent is accepted for evaluation and subsequenty approved.

It is quite possible that he is the youngest Badaga to get Patent in Europe for Wireless Technology..

Rajarishi Devarajan is also known as Joghee in memory of his Great Grand Father, Pokka Joghee Ayya a person known for his honesty and local judgements. Rajarishi is a guitarist also.

RAJARISHI, WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!

Indrani Radhakrishnan is a multi talented Badaga woman. I had written about her earlier aslo. A speaker on many forums like schools, Rotary and Innerwheel , she has attended a few seminars and conferences. Her journey on writing started way back in 8th std itself. Since then she has been writing articles poems and letters to editor – both in English and Tamil.

She has won many awards and has also received an honorary Doctorate in Heritage and culture. She has won two international awards – World Peace achiever Award and Universal Children s Day Award in 2021 from Phillipines SPMUDA organization.

She is the first in Badaga history to win international awards. She has recently published a book ” The Lost legacy of the Nilgiris” which is the first book of its kind in Nilgiris history.

Mrs. Idyammal Bellie Gowder,

wife of B.K. Bellie Gowder

daughter or Rao Bahadur HJ Bellie Gowder,

sister of Rao Bahadur HB Ari Gowder

You sacrificed everything for the sake of us, your children – eight of us.

Mrs.Radha Gowdu,

Wg Cdr Jayaprakash & Mrs. Tara Jayaprakash

The First Badaga Woman, who joined Indian Army, is Cathrine Nirmala, D/o Indrani George from Kombukorai, Ketti, way back in 2009.

She was commissioned as an officer from Officers Training Academy, Chennai in 2009. She is a Senior Officer in the Army now.

Cathrine is married and has two children named Shana and Francis Xavier. She studied in St Anns Girls Higher Secondary School and then did her B.E (computer science) from Nachimuthu Engg College, Erode. She is a martial art champion(karate black belt) and attended tournaments in Nilgiris and Coimbatore during her school days. Her father died when she was 13 years old.

Officer Cathrine says “My mother is a role model and a inspiration to me. She was a very bold lady and groomed me very well knowing my talents.She supported me whenever I took a decision about my life. She passed away in 2021”.

We are very proud of you, Cathrine Nirmala !