The next 50% are middle class and the rest 40% lead a subsistence living.
Yet, only the top 10% can be really called affluent. The Badagas own a substantial share of the tea plantations and estates in the Nilgiris, make up the bulk of the small tea growers, almost monopolise the professions of doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers in the district and a growing number of them are in overseas employment.
Badagas has put forward this issue to the central government to include them under the Scheduled Tribes.Īre the Badagas an affluent community? Yes and no. It is evident from her research that the Badaga community was created in the Nilgiris with small local groups in ancient times. There is a rumor that Badagas are migrated from Mysore, but recent research work by French scholar Christiane Pilot-Raichoor proved that Badagas are origin of Nilgiris. The Badagas used to be called a tribe in the past, unfortunately Badagas are removed from the tribe list. Even the vague perception swings widely from the Badagas being rich tea estate owners to one among the obscure tribes on the hills. It is ironic that despite extensive research on them by western scholars, the Badagas are little known outside the Nilgiris. Dravidian civilizations Wikipedia:WikiProject Dravidian civilizations Template:WikiProject Dravidian civilizations Dravidian civilizations articles This article is within the scope of WikiProject Dravidian civilizations, a project which is currently considered to be inactive. This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. This article has been rated as Start-Class on the project's quality scale. Languages Wikipedia:WikiProject Languages Template:WikiProject Languages language articles If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. This article is within the scope of WikiProject Languages, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of languages on Wikipedia.