And the best village tourism award goes to Ullada

Cultivation of hill-grown vegetables, verdant tea gardens, a eucalyptus distillery unit ... there are attractions that put Ullada in the running for the Union government's 'best village tourism' award for Tamil Nadu. The more-than-a-century-old Nilgiris Mountain Railway that chugs through it was perhaps what helped the village clinch the deal. "Ullada's location, transport facilities and the tradition and culture of the villagers were other reasons we won this award," says D Uma Shankar, Nilgiris district tourist officer. "Badagas are the largest indigenous community in the Nilgiris.
Their tradition, culture, cuisine and lifestyle are unique. That helped us during the valuation by the assessment team from the Centre." Ullada, he says, has everything a tourist seeking a rural experience is looking for. Which is why the badaga hamlet in Ketti Panchayat in the Nilgiris bagged the award. It will be handed over to representatives from Ullada - Kakkamalla, N Vinoth, Murthi and M Rajesh, led by village head B Mathan - at an event in New Delhi on Wednesday.
"Officials from Delhi came to our village five times in the past year to assess it for the award. The team inspected our houses and appreciated the unique badaga style of construction. They observed our farming practices and visited our temple too," says Mathan.
"We didn't think we would win, but now that we have, I couldn't be prouder," says Kakkamalla.
"Ullada is the only village located close to the NMR track. In 2006, we used to have a night service of the mountain train halting here at Ketti railway station," says K Natarajan, managing trustee, Heritage Steam Chariot Trust. "Campfires, badaga cuisine and sale of vegetables at Ullada village were part of the night train service. Even foreign tourists visited the village then. The villagers benefited. But the service was discontinued."
Inhabited by the badagas, the Ullada economy is driven by agriculture and tea cultivation in small holdings. Tourism in the village had been explored in past years too when special mountain train services between Ooty and Ketti were introduced decades ago. However, in recent times the badaga village has been in the limelight because of a growing number of homestays promoted by the Centre.