Badagas of the Blue Mountains

  POWER TO CHANGE

[Dedicated to my mother]

Anand Ramachandran informs :

COME AND WITNESS A BADAGA MAKING HISTORY BY SUPERVISING THE WORLD’s GREAT FOOTBALL PLAYERS AT KOLKATA ON 02 SEP 2011.

A question from Suresh of Kalhatty who had obviously seen the page on Badaga Jewellery [Badaga Bangara]
has clean bowled me. His question is why do Badagas, always, wear silver rings in pairs. Does it have any special meaning?

I have heard elders telling ‘jodi (bellie) ungara ikku’ – wear (silver) rings in pair but never really found out the significance. Anyone who can through some light?

• Sudha Arjun responds :

  Dear Sir,

  Thank you for including my comments even though you do not agree with them. However, I would sincerely advice all Badagas to re-think the ST status. We do not fulfil the general characteristics of a tribe. I prefer that we are looked upon as a forward thinking community grounded in our traditions of rich hospitality & warmth, willingness to take care of our own people and ability to work hard. We already come under the 27% reservation for OBCs which should cover the opportunities available to us. Are we not going against the spirit of the constitution when we cover economically better communities/ castes in the ST category?

  I am glad that you brought up the point of our land being protected, which is exactly what I had raised a few years back in “Burning issues”. Is there no other way to protect our lands? I have heard that in Himachal, only the locals can buy and sell land to each other and harmony with nature is an essential requirement. What can we do to bring in similar laws? How do we maintain the beauty of our hills without rampant construction in the name of development? Is getting included as ST, the only way to protect our land?

  With reference to the perks given to Senior citizens, I beg to differ. Majority of senior citizens across the country have no income and live on their savings, hence, this cannot be an equal comparision.
  Having said that, I look forward to more such healthy debates on the betterment of our community.

  Hello Ms.Sudha Arjun, thanks for your prompt rejoinder. I am putting your comments as a new post with the hope that there will be many more healthy debates on this ‘current’ topic – Wg Cdr JP

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 MAHALAKSHMI comments :

I agree with you Ms Sudha Arjun. Its meaningless in degrading us(Badagas) from our status for mere reservation and benefits from the Govt. There are people all over India(world) even today who die due to starvation, drought etc….There are people who even don’t know that the govt. can help them in many ways. These politicians play a good game there. We badagas with God’s Grace are good enough and developing ourselves in all the sectors today. Its a shame to all badagas asking for ST status though we can stand on our own. We should understand one thing basically (i.e) Reservation from govt. is to help the poor people to come up in their life and to make them stable. When a person from SC/ ST/ OBC gets a govt. job they should write to the govt. That they no more belong to lower caste, they satisfy their needs by themselves & they should upgrade their status. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen everywhere. Very scarcely people are genuine. It looks selfish, we Badagas strive for ST status in the country where we have the duty to abolish the caste difference, we should leave way for the poor and help people to come up.

Instead we can make way for unemployed youths. As we see in other parts of our country we don’t leave our senor citizens in old age home. Also I agree that not all of them are safe and good. We can ask govt. to take any safety measures for these problems and feel them safe rather to degrade us to ST status.

Also we should note that we have a major problem in our community, (i.e)early marriage of girl children, unawareness about the politics, in general though we are educated we lack in understanding the things that happens around us and take measures. We have to fight for these……….

This is a must see video on youtube [Uploaded by yogeshajjan] in which a youngster  traces the wild path in the wilderness of the unspoilt Nilgiris that was frequented by his forefathers. Hats off to those who made this journey to Devarbetta. Yes, with a nice sound track – Badaga Song.

THALAIKAARU EMMATTI: This is the place where my grandfather and great grandfathers lived with their cattle to overcome drought. This place is unknown to our generation. This journey is to find my grand fathers wild house-I just added a sound track ….

http://youtu.be/UdzPucNJI30

Dear JP,

I knew that Badaga women were unique in their own ways. They were courageous, well displined and hardworking to the core. They were the incornation of goodness, tolerance and kindness.,embodiment of virtues. Your mother was undoubtedly one such soul. I earnestly pray for her purest soul to rest in peace.

Kethorai.R.Rajma

Thank you Rajma, you have summed it in the most beautiful way. It was mother, who was a true Badaga[thi] who made us hold our head high and to have the courage of conviction – JP

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Thank you, to all those friends who had sent condolence messages on the demise of my mother Mrs.Idyammal. She was born on 02-09-1912 and named Kaaday [Kade] and her pet name was Ida which became Idy.

2-9-1912 —-13-7-2011

Being the youngest, she was the pet of her parents,Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowder and Nanji Hethay. She had a big influence with all her brothers and after Rao Badadur Bellie Gowder passed away in 1935, she was the uniting force of the family.

She lived a full life with all its pleasures and pitfalls. Being a woman of great character and courage – she ensured that all her children, eight of us, were sent to schools and colleges.

Education was her topmost priority, probably due to the influence of her elder brother Rao Bahadur Ari Gowder who was 20 years elder to her. Educating all the children was not easy, that too, two of us in professional courses, her fifth child, Balakrishna became a Doctor [though fate played a cruel trick and he passed away in Malaysia in 1975, at the age of 29, just a day before he was leaving for London to do his FRCS, and was the first of her children to pass away which shattered mother beyond description] and me, her sixth child as an Engineer.

She was very strict and did not compromise and had the courage of conviction to carry her decisions through.

There is so much to write about her for she is a phenomena by herself. In her passing away, it was end of an era.

Thank you once again for all the sentiments – Wg Cdr JP

It is with the saddest sense of grief and sorrow I record the passing away of my mother, Mrs.Idyammal Bellie Gowder, on 13-7-2011 at the age of 99. Mom, you gave me everything and what I am today is only due to you.

It was a train journey after forty years. On 27/06/2011. First time with my better half. And it was worth it.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway [NMR] – running from  Ooty to Mettupalayam – is an unique UN heritage  railway system built during the British time and with which two greatest Badaga Leaders [Known as Nakku Betta ‘Rajas’ during their time] Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowder and Rao Bahadur Ari Gowder, were closely connected – Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowder in fact built it [surprisingly no mention about them has been made in many references about NMR – either by default or deliberate design]. They had the great privilege of stopping the train by show of hands. See photos in the ‘rare photos’ page.

And guess what, this ‘toy train’ which is a must travel agenda in every tourist’s itinerary, is so cheap to travel from Ooty to Coonoor or vice versa, that you tend to think that there is some BIG MISTAKE. yes, it costs all of Rs.3. You heard me correct ONLY Rupees THREE. in second class. Fist class costs Rs.76/- But  the reservation charges are much higher. By the way, the fare from Coonoor to Mettupalayam is Rs.4/-.See the pictures [click on them for enlargement].

Less than a cup of ‘chai’ in any roadside  tea shop. Surely this must find a mention in Guinness World Records.

This train is the ‘lifeline’ for many students [living around Lovedale, Ketti, Aravankadu, Wellington and Coonoor] studying in Ooty Govt. Arts College and for those working in Ooty.

My memory goes back to the time when I was a regular of this train from Aravankadu to Ooty [when I did my pre university in Ooty College during 1964-65] and after my Engineering studies in 1971 when I was with the Ooty PWD.

And here are some snaps of the train and Coonoor railway station.

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