January 4, turned out to be a red letter day in the history of a small Badaga Village - Yedakkadu, 30 km from Ooty, as Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, a host of ministers, senior IAS and IPS officers attended a colourful Golden Jubilee celebration of Kundah Industrial Cooperative (INDCO) Tea factory at Yedakkadu Mattam (village ground).
It appeared grand than the annual traditional festival of Badagas with traditional music and dance renting the air. Women joined the event attired in their traditional white mundu (veshti), which they generally do while taking part in village festival.
The villagers were elated as the CM attended a function in their village. Roads leading to Yedakkad was clean and neat. The stage for the grand function was decorated in green and white symbolically indicating the greenery of tea gardens and Aavin Milk.
An elderly man Bojan said, “The inauguration of the sale of 250 grams Ooty tea made by INDCO Tea Factories by the CM really touched the hearts of small tea growers. Now, anybody can buy Ooty tea and the sale will be automatically go up. This is an innovative concept of the government to increase the sale of Ooty tea ultimately ensuring good profit to small growers. It will help in increasing the members of INDCO factories and also in encouraging the younger generation to retain their small tea gardens.