Ari Gowder on a world tour
Badagas of the Blue Mountains…..their unique history, origin, culture, customs, rituals, language and lifestyle !!
Weblog of Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash [bjaypee@gmail.com]
Rao Bahadur H B Ari Gowder
[above - text] From the book ” A BADAGA - ENGLISH DICTIONARY ” by Prof.Paul Hockings and Christiane Pilot-Raichoor
4th December 2008, was the115th birthday of the great Badaga leader
Rao Bahadur HB Ari Gowder….
Bowing our heads in silent reverence for all that he had done to our community…
so that we can hold our heads high !
We pay our homage on the 37th death anniversary [28-06-08]
Ad put in ‘The Hindu’
Rao Bahadur H.B.Ari Gowder, the first Badaga graduate, first Badaga M.L.C & M.L.A for a long time who had brought many reforms in/to Badaga Community including ‘prohibition’ (no alcohol - kudi) to Nilgiris in British days itself. Ari Gowder lead the Indian contigent (yes, “INDIAN CONTIGENT) to World Scouts Jumboree held in Europe in the 1930s.
Being a great philanthrophist he had done a lot for the betterment of Badagas. He was the one who established Nilgiri Co-Op Marketting Society at Ooty, to save the small farmers-especially Badagas- from the exploits of middlemen & traders at Mandis in Mettupalayam. He was the President of NCMS for more than 30 years, till his death and NCMS was considered one of the best co-op societies in India during his days. His statue has been erected in the NCMS compound in appreciation of his great work.
Since he donated the land, the road in front of Mambalam Railway Station in Chennai (Madras) is named after him (known as Arya Gowder Street). Both were held in great esteem and considered as the ‘ Uncrowned King ‘ of Nakku Betta by Badagas.
A POSTAGE STAMP IS LIKELY TO BE RELEASED IN HIS HONOUR BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA !
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
