The word Badaga means “northerner” which supports the migration theory.īalasubramaniam dates the first Badaga migration with the incursions into South India in 1311 AD by Malik Kafur, one of the generals of Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi. There are a number of theories the most prevalent being the migration of people from the Mysore plateau to the hills. Their origin is a hotly debated topic among historians and anthropologists. īalasubramaniam calls the Badagas ‘the largest group of indigenous people in the Nilgiris’. Balasubramaniam in his book, Paame – The History and Culture of the Badagas of the Nilgiris. There is no other place outside the Nilgiris where the community shares a definite locale,” writes B. “The Badaga community is a territorial group confined to the Nilgiris. This value lay in Tamil literacy which was slowly becoming the one sure passport to coveted official positions.” Once the earlier reservations were overcome, the Badagas threw themselves into the maelstrom and merged into the mainstream of Indian ethos. Paul Hocking in his book Ancient Hindu Refugees: Badaga Social History, writes, “… it was only after 1856, that the Badaga perceived some value in education. The early years of the 20th century saw the Badaga community, which was secluded from the rest of world until the advent of the British in 1819, harnessing the winds of change which were blowing across the hills. His dictum, she said, was ‘educate a woman and she will educate her entire family’. Many years later, Akkamma Devi, in an interview to The Hindu, attributed her success to her father who had made a number of sacrifices to ensure she would get the best education available. She had an active political career winning the Nilgiris seat in the 1962 Indian General Election. Akkamma was the first Indian girl to join this missionary school and the first Badaga woman to graduate. His younger daughter, who also joined the school, would travel on her father’s shoulders. So, one winter morning, he walked through the imposing gates of this European girls’ school, up the cobbled drive to meet the French Mother Superior, and fulfilled his dream of securing admission for his eldest daughter, Akkamma. It was her father, Motha Gowder, a lab technician at Pasteur Institute, who was determined that his daughters should get a good education. Joseph’s Convent in Coonoor, it was not just an 8 km walk she was a blazing trail for other Badaga women. I am privileged to be a part of it,” Nithyasree told TOI.When eight-year old Akkamma Devi walked the long road from Bearhatti to St. “It was a fulfilling experience performing in Ooty as it was for a good cause. In a bid to give an original flavour to the hills, Nithyasree chose to sing a Badaga song tuned by her in Pantuvarali raga, a first of its kind.
The concert had soul touching numbers of various composers in several languages sung in an open voice and saw the audience immersed in the ragas. According to the collector, the concert, ‘Rhythm for Reforms’ managed to collect the margin money for at least 70 needy beneficiaries.
#BADAGA SONG FREE#
Renowned Carnatic musician, Nithyasree Mahadevan was kind enough to perform free for the cause,” she said. Hence, the concert was arranged to mobilize funds. However, many of them are economically downtrodden and not in a position to part with the margin money. Hundreds of tribal beneficiaries have been identified for the scheme.
“Tribal housing schemes under central and state funds is being carried out in the Nilgiris. About 60 to 70 tribal families would benefit from the funds, collector J Innocent Divya told TOI. The concert, organized by the Nilgiris district administration, aimed to raise funds to assist housing for the tribals in the Nilgiris. The song was sung by renowned Carnatic musician Nithyasree Mahadevan at a concert held at RCTC building in Ooty on May 18. UDHAGAMANDALAM: ‘Eththai’, a Badaga song tuned in Carnatic music, is trending on social media.