Country India District The Nilgiris Population 10,974 (2001) | State Tamil Nadu Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Local time Thursday 6:49 AM | |
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Weather 14°C, Wind SE at 0 km/h, 99% Humidity | ||
Hubbathala is a census town in the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Contents
Map of Hubbathala, Tamil Nadu
Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Hubbathala had a population of 10,974. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Hubbathala has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 65%. In Hubbathala, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
History
Rao Bahadur H J Bellie Gowder
Society grows due to education, a human being remains human due to education. The pioneer who helped the Badaga Community (of Nilgiri Hills, South India) in the field of education, was Rao Bahadur H.J.Bellie Gowder, a great leader and the leading light of the Badagas during his time.
He started a school for the upliftment of the community, which was incidentally one of the oldest Non-European schools in the region, started on the 1st of July, 1930. Students from all through the district and beyond came to study, education was free and so was the boarding and lodging - the school hostel to this day remains free and is run as a shelter by the family for deserving students. This school was later donated to the Tamil Nadu government and to this day known as the Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowder Higher Secondary School.
Hubbathalai Village
It is at the same Hubbathalai Village where he often used to invite the 'Seeme Gowdas' ( Badaga leaders of other areas of the Nilgiris, each area being called a 'Seeme' or a small 'kingdom') to discuss the situations and problems prevalent at that time and give his advice. People from "Naaku Betta " ( from all over the Nilgiris - spread on all the four[naaku] sides by mountains called 'bettas' in Badaga language) always kept coming to see him, seek his advise and settle their difficulties. In fact, it is said that the kitchen fire in the house of Bellie Gowder was never extinguished (to feed the people who came to see him).
Like the proverbial seven philanthropists (Kadai Ezhu Vallalgal) described in Tamil literature, he too was a great philanthropist. He gave a lot of importance to social justice, development and education, he established the Hubbathalai High School to help not only the poor, but the people in the region to be literate. He died on 10 April 1935.
The fame of this historic hero, Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowder, will remain forever!
This article was originally written in Tamil by A.Kari Gowder, General Secretary, Porangadu Seeme Nala Sangam and published (May,2006) in the form of a booklet by "PORANGADU SEEME NALA SANGAM" [N.G.O Regd No. 153 / 2002],C-10 Hope Park, Kotagiri Post, Nilgiri Dist - 643 217, Tamil Nadu (India)