Badagas of the Blue Mountains

I am a 15 years old guy . My father’s name is N.SHANMUGAM [ARMY] and my mother’s name is S.CHITRAMALA . We belong to Nanjanad village . Tell you what, I AM REALLY PROUD TO  B E A BADAGA…..

Uncle I want to know more about you .

Hello Deepak, so sweet of you to send this info. I am thrilled. I am sending you a separate email telling about me. With love and happy surfing – JP Uncle

The ‘Maha’ census of 2011 that may bring in the ambitious Unique Identification Number to every citizen of our country has started from 1st April, 2010.

Many readers may not know that Badagas were listed as a separate entity in the CENSUS till 1981 but after, that, courtesy some idiots, Badaga are grouped under Kannada (speaking people). What this has done is the huge loss of information of knowing how many Badagas are there [along with all other details like literacy rate, gender wise population etc]. That, SIMPLY MEANS BADAGAS DO NOT EXIST.

What is highly hurting is the fact we have many Badagas including a minister, MLA, many ex-MPs & ex-MLAs who seem to do nothing. Can they not, ATLEAST, shoot out letters to all concerned ? I know of an EX-MP who writes to the local police station every now and then emphasising the EX-FACTOR when it comes to grabbing others land , but does nothing about the community welfare.

What about the many self appointed leaders of Badaga community, including ex-MLAs, who claim that they are very close to the ‘RULING” party leadership ? Why can’t they initiate some action and show the same enthusiasm like when they ‘fleece’ the public for money in the name of donation for the party [but lining their own pockets]?

It is a well known fact that late Rao Bahadur HB Ari Gowder would seek an immediate appointment, to highlight the problems concerning Badagas, with the Collector as well as the State ministers of his time including the great Rajaji who was the CM. Do you know that Rajaji had to apologise to Ari Gowder when he (Rajaji) was delayed for an appointment and Ari Gowder, as MLA, threatened to walk out. I believe, many Collectors of the Nilgiris, would not only address Ari Gowder’s concern expressed over the phone but would consult him on any issue on the Nilgiris.

Badagas under Schedule Tribes ?

I have very strong views on this subject. Before I elaborate on them, I feel that we should first of all be identified as BADAGAS which is not the case presently as SANTHOSH has rightly mentioned in www://badaga.com “. . our community’s name is not in the list of communities under the BC category. In fact, it is not mentioned under any of the categories.”

As mentioned earlier, even in our own district of the Nilgirs, do you know that we are not taken as a separate community as BADAGAS but are clubbed with other non tribals? That is one of the reasons why the exact number of Badags is not available? When census is taken Badags are clubbed under Kannadigas / others.

I am afraid, if this sad state of affair continues, after a few years, we will come under the “extinct” community.

1. First, we should be identified as a separate group as BADAGAS like Todas, Kothas,Kurumas etc when the people (tribes) of the Nilgiris are referred to.
2. For the larger good of the community, Badagas should get the ST status for the benefits available are too many to go into detail.
Nearly eighty years back, Nakku Betta Leader, Rao Bahadur (Rao Sahib then) Bellie Gowder on whose invitation the Governor of then Madras Province visited Hubbathalai Village was presented a memorandum on the Hill Tribes of Nilgiris which included Badagas, Todas & Kothas. In a grand cultural show organised on that eve Badaga dance was presented [by school boys] in their ‘DODDA KUPPACHA”.

Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowder, incidentally, was not only the leader of Badagas but represented as leader of all the tribes of Nilgiris (a relatively remote hilly & jungle area and unexplored at that time). The folder he presented to the British Governor, on the occasion of his vist to Hubbathalai [on the invitation of Rao Sahib [ later he was bestowed with the higher title of Rao Bahadur] Bellie Gowder containg some rare photos of all the tribes of Nilgiris INCLUDING BADAGAS

Let us wake up atleast now

See below what David Mandelbaum had to say in 1941

Read the complete article here > http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zj0w51k

There are times, when you wake up, and settle down to a ‘routine’ day, a surprise visitor or an email arrives to cheer and change your day. Today is one of them. As usual, as I sit in front of the system to see the emails, with a cup of coffee served at the pc table by my ‘never cribbing’ better half, I saw this email from Mrs.Thenuga Sivaraj Chandrashekar that reads :

Dear Bellie Uncle,

How are you? It feels like I’ve known you for few years 🙂 I have read your postings in badaga.org. I have also visited your website badaga.in many times. I have never taken the time to write to you. Your website has tons or information. Thanks for all your effort !!
My name is Thenuga. I am from Kekkatty village. I am married to Chandrashekar (Billicombai). We are in US. We’ve been here for the past 10 years. My husband and I have helped few students in our community by sponsoring for their education. We were actively doing this 3-4 years ago with our relatives help. But now few of them have moved out of town and others have new responsibilites…. . Through some student organizations in Coimbatore, I am also helping some orphanage kids. I am now planning to organize a cancer awareness and screening programs in our hatties. I will need a lot of volunteer help from our community….. Can you please send me your phone number so we can discuss about this.

As being the habit, I replied immediately to Thenuga, [the name of a RAGA in Telugu, I gather] with my phone numbers, and guess what, she was on line within minutes. When Thenuga explained that she and her husband Chandrashekar, have helped in the education of many, by sending one of them to Madras Christian College and others to an orphanage school, on the Mettupalayam Road, Coimbatore.

Having lost her mother to Cancer, like most of the Badagas who have lost atleast one member to some form of cancer [ in my case I lost my sister, a few years back] she wants to spread awareness about this disease, which can be cured if detected early,among our hattis (villages) with the help of youngsters. They can also sponsor ‘differently abled / mentally challenged’ Badaga children in the School for Handicapped ‘ if the children can be identified.

I know of Badagas who live in the USA for decades and claim that they have oceans of money but do nothing for the community, there are people like Thenuga and Chandrashekar who are keen on doing something for the society. My heart is filled with joy and pride to learn about these Badagas who live thousands of miles away but have remained to remember their roots. Truly ‘Proud to be Badagas’.

If you can volunteer, your expenses will be taken care of, please contact bjaypee@gmail.com. I, Wg.Cdr. JP, will be in Coonoor in the next couple of days and can schedule some meetings.

Every society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate amongst them.Let us resolve to join Thenugu & Chandrasheker and do something to the society, here and now.

Thenuga adds on 07 Apr 2010 about her plans :

Instead of conducting one huge camp, I am planning to organize few small camps covering 15-20 hattis at a time. The first camp will be in Kannerimukku village. Most probably in the government school. The way I would like to spread this word is through Magalir Sangam. I know each hatty has one. I am not aware on what they do. But anyways, I am planning to contact them and they will be responsible for spreading the word in their hatty and also to get people enrolled for this checkup. Once after we have the number of people enrolled, we will be sorting them based on their household income. The ones who have less income will be given priority.
Depending upon the responses and support for this camp, we can decide if we want to move to the next region. We will welcome anyone who is willing to sponsor for the camp conducted in their region. We’ll be advertising their name, company. etc.

By the way, we welcome any committed doctor who can lead in this noble attempt.Please contact me at bjaypee@gmail.com or call [0] 9486631864 – JP

Sendil Halan has sent this info

The publishers of “The Indian” magazine, based in Hong Kong, have identified 100 people out of this vast population and released the second edition of a book entitled “100 Global Indians” which has three sections: The Leading Luminaries (30), The Entrepreneurs (40) and The Achievers (30).

The criteria used to identify the “100 Global Indians” were based on a set of objectives not overwhelmingly dependent on success in the business world alone

[http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/rotorua-scientist-recognised-community-work/5/42596]

And as per Sashikumar N.C ‘s wish, Dr.Guna Mageshan has been added to ‘First Badaga’ list

I am from Bangalore. I am a non Badaga girl. I have a couple of Badaga friends, have heard a lot about your community from them. This site is really wonderful. Your love for your community and the time that you have dedicated to put together so much information on this site is very commendable. All the very best.

Thank you Veena.When a non Badaga appreciates my website, I feel very happy and satisfied. Thanks once again – Wg Cdr JP

Kavitha Dineshkumar [Chennai] writes :- “I love Badaga community but I’m not a Badaga. My ganda (husband) is a Badaga. I am very proud to join this community. I will do something good for our community. Be proud of Badagas”.

Kavitha, we welcome your sentiments and hope, you are accepted into Badaga community with all joy and happiness. Though, there is some resistance among a section of Badagas for marriages from outside the community, personally, I feel after marriage the girl, if willing, should be accepted into community without any reservation. When I say, [the girl] willing, I mean, the girl should be prepared to accept all  the customs and traditions of Badagas and be a good ‘sosay’ [daughter in law]. As mlle.Sumathi Halan mentioned somewhere else, ‘Let us accept that the society is changing and for us [Badagas] to progress, we have to be part of that change’  – Wg Cdr JP

I know that a lot of posts need updating, or…. rather, more material and info need to be added.

Here is more pictures of Badaga Jewellery from my wife’s collection who went hunting for original Badaga Bangara in Ooty and Kotagiri recently.

The surprise is that you can get Badaga Jewellery with some exclusive designers in Bangalore, also [made to order].

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A hundred thousand thanks !

Any event in our life is generally valued in terms of numbers. First birthday, tenth year, Silver (25) / golden (50) / platinum (75) Jubilees, a century in cricket, thousand pillars in a temple, Lachathipathi (a lac) etc etc.

Similarly, to a website, the importance or rather the encouragement is in terms of the number of visitors to that site. In that sense, the number, a hundred thousand, 100,000 is very significant. To achieve that land mark for a website that focuses on a small tribal community with great traditions, confined within the four geographical boundaries called ‘Seemay/ Naadu’ in the beautiful blue mountains [the Nilgiris], also known as  ‘four’ mountains [Naakku Betta] in Badaga, is a matter of great pride and honour.

A few years back, when you were craving for a website on or about Badaga, the only one was USA based Rabin’s http://www.badaga.com . The website made me wonder why not start a website or rather a blog on, of and about the Badagas of the Blue Mountains. To give more info on Badaga, the language and people.

What started as a hobby and urge to give accurate, authentic and unknown information as a ‘pay back’ to the community I belong to and be proud of, has grown into an ambition and obsession. The more I dig into our history, origin, customs, culture, language and traditions the more is the motivation and the determination to give gleamed information to the youth of the community in particular and to the public in general.

Needless to say the journey is one heck of an unknown but highly interesting and satisfying one. The motivation and encouragement comes from the constant stream of comments that I receive every day.

More than anything else, the ‘nasha’ comes when I look at the number of visitors. More than a hundred visitors for so many days, months and years! Simply AMAZING !! There must be something right and interesting in what appears in my website www.badaga.in or rather, my weblog www.badaga.wordpress.com if I can boast of a hundred thousand visitors, nay honourable guests and friends so far. Special thanks to badaga.com for being the original trigger of the ambition that has been largely fulfilled.

All I can say, with hands folded and head bowed, THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of my heart.

Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash

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These are the cricket crazy days. Life comes to a standstill when a ‘live’ match comes on the TV, that too when a twenty 20 match involving India is played everything else is forgotten.

But do you know that ancient Badagas played this game in a slightly different format called ‘Sendu Hoovadhu [Hitting the ball]’?

One of the important festivals in olden days was “Dodda Habba [Big Festival]” which was celebrated as a homage to and in remembrance of the ancestors. An important item of the festival was ‘Sendu Hoovadhu’ or hitting the ball. A ball made out of old cloth or the hay/husk is tossed up and hit by a ‘flatish’ stick by a ‘batter’ towards the ‘fielders’ a little distance away. If the ball is caught, he is ‘out’ and the ‘catcher’ gets to ‘bat’. Something akin to the ‘catching practice’ of these days.

Before the ball is hit, the ‘batter’ asks the filders ‘Haakkaakka [shall I hit?]’ and the fielders reply in unison ‘Haakku [hit]’. The honour of starting the game as the ‘opening batsman’ goes to the Poojari [priest] of the village temple followed by the Gowda [headman] and an elder.[info from Sivaji Raman’s ‘Badaga Samudhayam‘]

Kerban Bella Gowder has immortalised this ‘game’ in one of the songs of Berada Bellie ballad as ” Appa hoodha sendu, endu halla maduna buddhu hadadhay [the ball hit by father has fallen on the bank of the river]”

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By the way, a visitor Martin Parker (mlp9870817@yahoo.com), from the USA, writes : –
I was wondering someone might be able to tell me how one would say “I love you” in Badaga .

I am clean bowled. That is an interesting question. The exact translation for ‘love’ is a little tricky, it could be ‘gava’ [ more of a context for loving the children, elders , relatives etc. ‘priya’ is more for liking than I suppose for loving.

If you have to tell your lover, it could be, in my opinion, ‘Na ninna Virumbinay – I like you ‘, ‘Nee enaga hidithra – you are liked by me’.

Closest could be, ‘Naa ninna PRIYA maadinay‘ [Naa – I, Ninna – You, Priya – love, Maadinay – doing] – Wg Cdr JP

Martin Parker replies :-
Thank you very much for your reply.
I am from the United States, but I have long been fascinated by how many different languages there are around the world, and I enjoy collecting phrases and trying to understand how different languages are put together, so your explanations were very interesting. Thanks again…Martin

I had mentioned about Jakkanare Sivaji Raman’s book on Badaga Community called ‘Badaga Samudhaayam’. No price is mentioned for this book but you may get it in Kotagiri.

There are a lot of interesting nuggets of new information that many of us are not even aware of. Here is a sample of ‘rare’ pictorial pickings. [All the pictures are from the book]

When a village was [hatti] was formed, a ‘Hethappa [Ancestor] Kallu [Stone]’ was created and then a ‘Devva Mane [God’s House – Temple]’ was built.

‘Hebbaiyilu’ [First /Big Threshold]’ is the entrance to a village [Akka Bakka?]. It consists of two vertical stone pillars with a central horizontal stone containing carvings.

Hebbaiyilu

Hethappa Suththukal

Devva Mane