Badaga Studies (Collected Papers) – by Dr.R K Haldorai
An excellent collection of papers on the Beautiful Badaga Bashe (Language) by one of the most appreciated scholars on Badaga – Dr.RK Haldorai from Kiya Kauhatti
Badaga Language
மொழியின் தன்மை
இயல்பாக மொழிகளில் சிறந்த மொழி சிறப்பற்ற மொழி என்று எதுவும் இல்லை. இப்பின்னணியிலே படகருள் சிலர் தம் தாய்மொழி சிறப்பற்றது எனக் கொண்டு தாய்மொழி படகு என்று சொல்வதற்குத் தயக்கம் கொண்டுள்ளனர். இது அடிப்படையில் ஒரு தவறான கருத்தாகும். ஒவ்வொரு காலக்கட்டத்தில் சில மொழிகள் செல்வாக்கு பெற்று விடுகின்றன. இச்செல்வாக்கு பெரும்பாலும் அரசியல் தொடர்பினாலும் அல்லது சமுதாயத்தில் உயர் மட்டத்தில் இருப்பவராலும்
செல்வாக்கு பெற்று விளங்கும் மொழிகளைப் பார்த்து சமுதாயத்தில் பலர் மொழிகளைப் பற்றிய ஒரு தெளிவான அறிவு இல்லாமல் இருந்து விடுகின்றனர். இது அவர்களுடைய தவறு அன்று. அவர்கள். கண் முன் இச்செல்வாக்கு பெற்று
நம்மில் பலர் தாய்மொழியாக படகுவைக் கொண்டிருந்த போதிலும் அம்மொழியினைப் பற்றிய ஒரு சிந்தனை இல்லாமல் இருக்கிறோம். நம் மொழிக்கு எழுத்து இல்லா நிலையைக் காட்டி இம்மொழியில் வாழ்வின் அனைத்துக் கூறுகளையும் பேச- எழுத முடியாது என்பாரும் உளர். இவர்கள் வாக்கில் உண்மை இருப்பது போல தோன்றும். ஆனால் அவை வெறும் மேற்போக்கானவை யாகும். நன்கு அலசிப் பார்ப்போமேயானால் இவையெல்லாம் தவறு என்பது நன்கு விளங்கும். படகு மொழியில் எழுத்து இல்லை; இலக்கணமில்லை. எழுத்தை, இலக்கணத்தை யார் உருவாக்குவது? இவை ஒரு படகு மொழி பேசுபவரால் தான் எளிமையாக உருவாக்க முடியும். ஏன், இவற்றை ஒரு படகு பேசும் ஆள்தான் செய்ய வேண்டும் என வைத்துக்கொள்வதில் தவறு ஏதும் இல்லை. ஆனால் இதுவரை நம் படகு பேசுவோர்களிடையே இம்மாதிரியான எண்ணம் எதுவும் தோன்றியதாக தெரியவில்லை. ஒரு சிலர் இவற்றைப் பற்றி சிந்தனை செய்துள்ள போதிலும் அவர்களால் ஒரு முடிந்த முடிவுக்கு வர இயலவில்லை. இதனால் தான் நம் படகு மொழிக்கு எழுத்து இலக்கணம் முதலியன இதுவரை அமையவில்லை. எழுத்து, இலக்கண முதலியன உண்டாக்கிய பின்பு இலக்கியம் அமைதலும் ஏற்படக்கூடும். கவிதை, கட்டுரை, நாடகம், வரலாறு, உரைநடை, கடிதம் முதலிய அனைத்தும் இம்மொழியில் எழுத வேண்டும். அப்பொழுது அவற்றுள் சிறந்தன இலக்கியங்களாக அமைந்து விடுகின்றன. இலக்கியம் ஒரு மொழிக்கு பெரும் பாதுகாப்பை அளித்து விடுகின்றது. மொழி இலக்கியத்தால் நிலைத்த தன்மை எய்தி விடுகின்றது. இவ்வடிப்படையில் நோக்கும் போது இலக்கியம் முதலியன இல்லை என குறைபட்டுக் கொண்டிருப்பின் யாதும் நிறைவேறாது என்பது நன்கு விளங்கும். அத்துறையில் முயன்று தேவையானவற்றைப் படைக்க வேண்டும். பின், மொழி நாளொரு வண்ணமாய் வளர்ந்து வரும்.
ஒரு சில நூறு மொழிகள் மட்டுமே எழுத்து அமைப்பை கொண்டிருக்கின்றன. மீதமுள்ள ஆயிரக்கணக்கான மொழிகளுக்கு எழுத்துகள் இல்லை. உலகிலுள்ள பெரும் எண்ணிக்கையிலான மொழிகள் வெறும் பேச்சு மொழிகளாகவே பல
தென் திராவிட மொழிகளில் அதிகப்படியான மக்களால் பேசப்பட்டு வரும் மொழி வரிசையில் ஆறாவது இடத்தில் படகு இருக்கிறது. தெலுங்கு, தமிழ், கன்னடம், மலையாளம், துளு ஆகிய ஐந்து திருந்திய திராவிட மொழிகளுக்கு அடுத்தப்படியாக அதிகப்படியான மக்களால் பேசப்பட்டு வருவது படகு மொழியாகும். இன்னும் ஒரு சிறப்பு
தாய்மொழியின் பிற மொழிகளுக்கு இணையான சொற்களும் இலக்கண அமைப்புகளும் இருக்க, இவ்வறிவு இல்லாமல் பிற மொழி அமைப்புகளை மிகுந்த முயற்சியுடன் பயில்கின்றோம். இதனால் பிறமொழிக் கல்வி பல இடங்களில் தோன்றிவிடும். சான்றாக ஒரு படகு குழந்தைக்கு ஆங்கிலம் கற்பிக்கப்படுகிறது என வைத்துக் கொள்வோம். அதிலும் noun, pronoun முதலிய இலக்கண கூறுகளைப் பயிற்றுவித்தலில் பொருள், இடம், ஆள் ஆகியன பெயர்களாகும் எனச் சொல்லி சான்றுக்கு tree, stone, London, John எனச் சொல்லி விடுகின்றோம். இவ் விடங்களில் இதே பெயர் (noun) நம் படகு மொழியிலும் உண்டு ஆங்கிலத்தில் உள்ளது போல் தான் பொருட்கள் இடம் ஆட்கள் முதலியவற்றின் பெயர்களாகும் எனச் சொல்லி சான்றுக்கு மொர, கல்லு, கடநாடு, 0பெள்ள எனச் சொல்வோமே யானால் குழந்தை அப்பெயரைப் (noun) பற்றிய முழு அறிவை மிக எளிமையாகப் புரிந்து கொள்ளும். ஏனெனில் மொர, கல்லு கடநாடு, 0பெள்ள போன்ற சொற்கள் அன்றாட வாழ்வில் மேலும் மேலும் வந்து கொண்டிருக்கின்றன. இவற்றை அடிப்படையாக வைத்து இவர்களுக்குச் சொல்வோமே யானால் எல்லாம் எளிமையாக விளங்கும்.
இவற்றைப் போல் pronoun என்பது பெயர்களுக்கு மாற்றாகக் கருதப்படுவது எனச்சொல்லி he, she, it, they என்பவற்றைச் சான்றுக்கு காட்டுவதுடன் நம் மொழியிலும் pronoun உண்டு அவையும் பெயர்களுக்கு மாற்றாக வரும் தன்மையன எனக் கூறி
கிளை மொழி
முன்னர் படகுமொழியைக் கன்னடத்துக் கிளை மொழி என்று சரியான ஆய்வு இல்லாமல் பலரும் பேசி வந்துள்ளனர். படகுமொழிக்கும் கன்னடமொழிக்கும் இடையே சில தளங்களில் ஒற்றுமை நிலவுவதைக் காட்டியே பலரும் இதைக்
ஒலி அமைப்பு
எழுத்துகள் இரு நிலைய தாகும். ஒன்று உருவம் பற்றியது; மற்றொன்று ஒலி பற்றியது. முன்னது கண்ணுக்குப் புலனாவது; பின்னது செவியால் கேட்பது. உருவம் பற்றியதை எப்படி வேண்டுமானாலும் மாற்றிக் கொள்ளலாம். இன்று உள்ள எழுத்துகளின் வடிவம் பல மொழிகளில் முற்காலத்தில் இருந்தது போன்று இல்லை. வரி வடிவம் மாற்றத்துக்கு உள்ளாகி வந்துள்ளது. ஆனால் ஒலி அவ்வாறு இல்லை. திரிதல் சிறிது காலத்திற்கேற்ப ஏற்பட்டாலும் பெரும்பான்மை ஒலிகள் மாற்றம் இல்லாமல் இருக்கின்றன. ஒலிகள் மாறினால் பொருள் மாறுபாடு அடைந்து விடும். முந்து திராவிடத்தில் இருந்த 10 உயிரொலியன்கள்தாம் படகுவில் இன்றும் உள்ளன. மெய்யொலியன்களில் 0க், ஜ், 0ட், 0த், 0ப், ஸ், ஹ் ஆகிய ஏழு ஒலியன்கள்
ஆக ஒலியமைப்பில் ஒவ்வொரு மொழிக்கும் வேண்டப்படும் எழுத்துகளைக் கணக்கிட்டுக் கொள்ள வேண்டும் ஒலி எழுத்துகளைக் கணக்கிட்டு விட்டால் பின் ஒலி எழுத்துகளுக்கு வரிவடிவங்கள் அளித்து விடலாம். அந்நிலையில் படகு மொழிக்கு இன்றியமையாத தனி ஒலியன்களாக 32 இருக்கின்றன. அவையாவன:
இந்தப் பத்து உயிர், இருபத்திரண்டு மெய் எழுத்துகளால் படகுமொழியை எழுதி விடலாம். இவற்றால் படகு மொழியில் இருக்கும் அனைத்துச் சொற்களையும் எழுதிவிடலாம். ஆக இந்த 32 ஒலியன் எழுத்துகள் படகு மொழியின் எழுத்துகளாகும்.
புதிய எழுத்து
அங்கும் இங்குமாகச் சிலர் மொழிக்குப் புதியதாக எழுத்து உருவாக்க வேண்டும் எனச்சொல்வதை நாம் கேட்டிருக்கிறோம். உண்மையில் இந்த 32 ஒலியன்களுக்குப் புதியதாக எழுத்துகள் உருவாக்குவது பெருஞ்செயல் அன்று. அதேபோல, 32
தமிழ் எழுத்துக்கள்
ஆங்கிலம்
இந்தி
கன்னடம்
இவை போல எம்மொழியிலிருந்து வேண்டுமானாலும் எழுத்துகளைப் பெற்றுக் கொண்டு படகுமொழியை எழுதலாம். இம்முயற்சி நம் கையில் தான் உள்ளது. நம் அனைவரும் ஒன்று கூடி இவ் எழுத்துகளுள் எதைப் பயன்படுத்தினால் எளிமையாக அமையும் என ஆராய்ந்து ஏதாவது ஒன்றினை மேற்கொள்ளலாம். புதியதாக பிறமொழி எழுத்துகளை எழுதிப் பழகுவது அவ்வளவு கடினமானதல்ல. 32 எழுத்துகளைச் சிறிது நேரத்தில் எழுதிப் பழகிவிடலாம். அவை காலப்போக்கில்
விந்தைப்பொருள்
Posted in badaga
Proud of you Rajamma, once again
A best selling book on Dr.Rajammal, THE LADY WITH THE MAGIC LAMP, is available online
In the recently held function on 9 Sep 2023, for Out Standing Educators by the governor of Tamil Nadu His Excellency Ravi, Dr.Rajammal, a Badaga lady from Kethorai, about whom we have written earlier also, was honoured. The function was held in Chennai.
Around 20 national and State Awardees were honoured and Dr.Rajammal was the no.1 in the list. Only she was given the privilege to address the gathering. See the video below.
We are proud of you Rajamma, Engaga appara santhosha (we are very happy)! – Wg Cdr JP
Anthropologist Davey counters theory of Badaga migration
Janardhan Nanjundan, (a Badaga from Thudhalai, is an indigenous researcher, with a background in Sociology, Anthropology, linguistic and demographics) writes
Anthropologist Davey counters theory of Badaga migration
Anthropologist Gareth Davey, (a former colleague of Paul Hockings) who is currently in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has said in a recent email to Dharmalingam Venugopal of NDC (Yukesh Saravanan, from Kannerimukku and a Software Engineer based at Bangalore, confirms this), that there is nothing wrong in changing anthropological conclusions based on new evidence.
Prof Davey was the first to categorically discard the notion of Badaga’s migration from Mysore in this 2018 book, ‘Quality of Life and Well Being in an Indian Ethnic Community: The Case of Badagas”. Describing the migration theory as a ‘myth’ or a ‘fairy tale’, he concluded that ‘Badagas have been misrepresented in the literature with a migrant identity. In summary, separation of Badagas from other people based on history and migration seems unfounded’.
Davey reviewed all the literature written about the Badagas over the past 200 years and raised a simple, basic question, ‘Where is the evidence to show Badagas migrated from Karnataka?’. The hundreds of books written till then had only one evidence, namely, ‘some Badagas told they came from Mysore’. Who were they? On what basis they said that? Did they show any evidence? Nothing was known.
The problem, according to Prof. Davey, is that all these scholars seemed to have made up their mind about Badaga migration even before studying or researching the Badagas.
Grammatical homogeneity of Badagu and the language of Kotas, Kurumbas and Todas might indicate they have always resided in the Nilgiri hills. Also genetic studies show Badagas share similarities with other indigenous people of Nilgiris.
On the current controversy concerning the Badaga migration, Prof Davey stated that, ‘One point about research is that weak conclusions or errors may unintentionally arise by people with good intentions, but they are soon corrected when researchers later examine their own and each other’s findings and conclusions critically and with new perspectives. There is nothing with being criticized or changing a viewpoint or admitting to being wrong. Indeed, this would be more convincing to me (i.e., shelving the migration idea altogether) than trying to fit earlier conclusions based on flimsy evidence into a new narrative’.
Posted in badaga
THE NILGIRI COLLECTION
THE NILGIRI COLLECTION
Stanford University, a major university in Silicon Valley, California, has now established in its library ‘the Nilgiri Collection‘. This is the largest collection of books, articles, manuscripts, dissertations and maps dealing with the Nilgiris to be found anywhere in the world — even bigger than what is in the British Library. The books date from 1820 onwards, down to the present.
The material is still in process of being catalogued, but a catalogue of it may be found at < https://searchworks.stanford.edu/ catalog?q=%22Nilgiri+Collection.%22&search_field=subject_terms >.
At present there is no online access to the material, as it has to be consulted in the library’s Special Collections room in Palo Alto. But as the library is digitising vast amounts of material nowadays, we might hope for online access later on. The librarian who is in charge of this and all South Asian books is Dr. Ryan Perkins, a historian, and he may be reached at c.ryanperkins@stanford.edu
Information, kind courtesy : Prof. Paul Hockings, the Anthropologist par excellence, who is on a visit to the Nilgiris
Posted in badaga
The ‘Mistaken Migration from Mysore’ theory
The ‘Mistaken Migration from Mysore’ theory that Badagas have migrated from Mysore plains.
I attended the “In Conversation with Paul Hockings ” meeting, courtesy Ganesh Ramalingam, who is spear heading the movement to restore ST status for Badagas on 19 Aug 2023. Prof. Paul Hockings is on a visit to the Nilgiris.
While giving full credit to Prof. Paul Hockings for writing so much about Badagas and exposing us to the world, I am totally opposed to his view that we are migrants from Mysore.
I had told Prof.Paul Hockings many times earlier through emails and in person in the meeting at Ooty.
(Wg Cdr Bellie Jayaprakash with Prof.Paul Hockings, in turban)
His argument is “please show some evidence that Badagas were in the Nilgiris for a longer period than a few hundred years, (thousand of years), I will definitely change my view.”
I see a subtle change in his perception now. For a specific question ‘why did you write, in the first place, that Badagas migrated from Mysore, his answer was ‘Badagas, themselves told me and pointed to a village near Nanjangud as their ancestral village ‘.
In 1962, when Paul Hockings first started his research on Badagas, he was about 28 and staying in Ketti village. Prof. Paul Hockings, says that he had visited about 80 Badaga villages.
Prof. Paul Hockings accepts and stated on record that Badagas are as indigenous to Nilgiris as British to Britain to a question by Ganesh Ramalingam. This I consider to be a subtle change in the view of Prof. Paul Hockings though he still seems more inclined towards the migration from Mysore theory.
The argument that Badagas have migrated from Mysore area, in the northern side of the Nilgiris MAINLY based on the meaning of BADAGA and/or some Badagas with whom Paul Hockings interacted, informants as he calls them, told them so, is not convincing. In 1960s, the awareness of Badaga Origin, was not well known to the Badagas. Some Lingayats, among the Badagas he gathered the migration information from, could have been falsely influenced, because of their ties with some villages near Nanjangud.
Now that Badagas, some of them highly educated and well informed, have started questioning this mistaken migration theory, we can feel that there is unease in the minds of many scholars and followers who tend to quote Westerners about migration and calling them wrongly as Hindu Refugees escaping the forced religious conversion by Muslim invaders.
The only way to establish our origin and ancestry, once and for all, is to do carbon dating. Paul Hockings, agrees to this and says he is willing to change his perception about the so called Badaga Migration, as that would be scientific.
Apart from this important issue of migration, where Prof. Paul Hockings, in my opinion, could have been misinformed, the other research Paul Hockings has done on Badagas, is exemplary. His books on ‘Badaga English Dictionary and Badaga Proverbs‘ along with Christiane Pilot Raichur, are great source of information and should find a place in every Badaga home.
(Prof. Paul Hockings with Wg Cdr Bellie Jayaprakash at the later’s house in Coonoor. Aug, 2023)
On a personal note, I am willing to sponsor anyone from our community, who can do this carbon dating and also request young Badaga leaders like Ganesh Ramalingam and other friends to initiate a serious attempt on this issue.
Let us prove that we are as old as any other tribe in the Nilgiris and this Migration from Mysore is a big mistake.
Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash (Air Veteran, Indian Air Force)
Please also see the page on Badaga Origin
Jakkadha SV Ramachandran comments |
Kay Mugadane JP sir
This message should be made loud and clear among every Badaga brothers and sisters. We should get convinced ourselves first.
In my opinion, DNA profiling and DNA mapping would be a better way to scientifically understand the origin of our community.
Regards.
Thank you very much, Ramachandra, I fully agree with you that we, Badagas, should get convinced ourselves first. DNA profiling/mapping could/should also be done. Why not? – Wg Cdr JP
900,000+hits, How do I thank you ?
900,000+hits, How do I thank you ?
Our website https://badaga.co has crossed the 900,000 visits this month, June 2023.
Targeted at a tribal community of about 300,000 Badagas, this website, an one man’s effort, gets about 200 hits a day.
How can I thank you, with mere words!
Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash (Coonoor)
bjaypee@gmail.com
A BADAGA AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY
A BADAGA AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY: GLOSSARY AND GAZETTEER
by Paul Hockings & Christiane Pilot-Raichoor
Badaga/Baduga, spoken by an indigenous tribe of the Blue Mountains, the Nilgiris in the Southern India, is an unique Dravidian language. Though wrongly clubbed and considered as part of old/haliya Kannada due to many similarities, it has been proved to be a separate language by itself. Now it figures as an endangered language in the UN list. The Nilgiris, with its many primitive tribes, has been the centre of many researchers and anthropologists for many centuries now. Most prominent among them is, no doubt, Prof. Paul Hockings. His extensive study/research on Badagas during his stay among them in the hills in the 1960s, has resulted in many books and publications which are a great source of information and reference . I found his book on ” Badaga Proverbs – Counsel from the Ancients: A Study of Badaga Proverbs, Prayers, Omens, and Curses “, quoted extensively in the dictionary very interesting and educative. May be there are a couple of glitches here and there but his work is exhaustive, indeed. I am in touch with him and find him to be very friendly and communicative.
Paul Hockings studied anthropology and linguistics at Sydney, Toronto, Chicago, Stanford and California (Berkeley) universities. He was the editor of the Encyclopedia of the Nilgiri Hills (Manohar 2012), as well as author of several other books on the anthropology of that area. The late Christiane Pilot-Raichoor was a linguist with a doctorate (1991) from the University of Paris – Sorbonne, specializing in the Badaga language. She supervised grammar and etymology in the Dictionary.
The latest edition of “A Badaga and English Dictionary” has been published by Manohar, Delhi and is priced at Rs.3995/- for a set of two books (three parts), 1024 pages, and is available from Amazon at Rs.3076/– (23% discount)
This dictionary is a must for any serious student of Badaga Language and a great guide & reference to know about Badagas and the Nilgiris – Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash
Prof: Paul Hockings, one of the authors, in an email, informs me that
This Dictionary, just released by Manohar Publishers, is a much revised and expanded version of the original Badaga Dictionary, published in Berlin in 1992. The authors for each edition were two anthropological linguists, Paul Hockings and the late Christiane Pilot-Raichoor. Together they have compiled a two-volume dictionary which is without parallel in Dravidian studies. For a start, it is the only dictionary that incorporates a Gazetteer of about 2,000 local placenames, including all Badaga, Toda and Kota villages past and present.
Etymologies are given for most entries, linking Badaga words to forms in the Dravidian Etymological Dictionary of T. Burrow and M.B. Emeneau. But a striking innovation here is that Hockings has for the first time shown that in many Dravidian Languages there remain a just a handful of words ultimately derived from Sumerian. This was the first language ever to produce written records, and it spread from Mesopotamia widely across the Western part of the Indian Ocean, some three thousand years ago, reaching as far as Kerala. Thus the Badaga word ūr or ūru (‘head village’) was derived indirectly from the Sumerian uru, ‘town, village, district’, and the Badaga giri (as in Nilgiri) is cognate with the Sumerian giri,meaning a ortress or refuge.
Another novel feature of the book is that Hockings has been able to comb old maps in order to list the Badaga names of 220 Toda hamlets, most of which no longer exist. Wherever he discusses any village or hamlet he gives its exact location, cited as being so many kilometres from points in Ooty, Kotagiri, Coonoor or Gudalur.
This book opens with a short outline of Badaga cultural history, and an essay discussing the relationship of Badaga with other, neighbouring languages. At the back are ten Appendices, with such useful information as the names, Badaga and scientific, of plants and animals, detailed lists of all villages, names of deities, etc. Also of crucial value is Part 3 of the book, a complete English-Badaga glossary, and for most of the nouns, including all plants, animals and placenames, concise references are given to the extensive literature on the Nilgiri region. This means that if a botanist, for example, even if not particularly interested in the Badaga language, wants some technical information about mango, he or she only has to look up ‘mango’ in this English Glossary, and that will give the comparable Badaga word, the entry for which will include concise references to mango in the botanical literature. In this way the book is more than just a Dictionary, it is a ready-reference book.
A Badaga English Dictionary – 1992 Edition
Counsel from the Ancients: A Study of Badaga Proverbs, Prayers, Omens, and Curses
Prof. Paul Hockings in his email [3/3/2015] had writen :
Dear J.P., It was really very generous of you to devote so much space to my work in your Badaga website. I do appreciate it.
My reply : Thank you Paul for the email. Since I feel that your books, particularly, ‘Counsel from the Ancients: A Study of Badaga Proverbs, Prayers, Omens and Curses‘ must find a place in every Badaga home, I wished that it was easily available and affordable. Thanking you once again for making Badagas known to the world. – Wg Cdr JP
Trilingual Dictionary of the Badaga language
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
- Ph.D. in comparative linguistics (Badaga-Tamil Linguistic study)
- Editor : mandadamaattu, a quarterly magazine, twenty three issues published(1991 – 1997), on behalf of Badagar Welfare Association, Chennai
- Introduced modified Tamil Letters to Badaga, conducted classes to students and others.
- 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)
- Badagumozhi Palamozhigal (Badaga Proverbs) (Tamil & English meanings), 2003
- Hethe Deyvam( Mother goddess of the Badagas) (Tamil), 2004
- Badagu oru diravida mozhi (Badaga a Dravidian Language) (Tamil), 2006
- Badagar Thirumanam (Badaga Marriage) (Tamil), 2006
- Badagar Theer Tirupatti (Badaga Funerals) (Tamil), 2007
- Badagar Aruvadait Thirunaal (Harvest Festival of Badagas) (Tamil), 2008
- Badagar Samaya Nambikkai (Religious Beliefs of Badagas) (Tamil), 2009
- Badagar Panpaadu (Badaga culture) (Tamil), 2012
- Badagar (Translation) (Tamil and English), 2016
- 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
Posted in badaga
Obituary -William (Bill) Allister Noble
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.
Posted in badaga
Badaga Flag
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.
Posted in badaga
Mookuthi 
Chinna 
==
Badagas of the Blue Mountains 