Udhagamandalam: Kaggula,a village of about 150 houses near Kotagiri is in a celebratory mood. Why not!

A daughter of the village has done it proud and in the process brought laurels to the Nilgiris,the likes of which this district in general and the Badaga community,in particular, have been yearning for,for a long time.

Sheer perseverance of S.Malliga, daughter of a small tea grower Sundaran and Village nurse Chithradevi of Kaggula,has put her on the road to becoming the first woman IAS officer of the Badaga community.

A student of the Saint Joseph’s Convent in Coonoor,Malliga, the only child of the couple moved to Coimbatore to get a Bio tech degree from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University before seeking training in an IAS coaching academy at Chennai to crack the Union Public Service Examination.

Undaunted by the faltering in the initial stages,Malliga clung on to climb the peak.

With this her long standing dream of becoming an IAS officer, has come true .Echoing the sentiments of her village,her cousin Sathish told The Covai Post that going by her track record,”we were certain that she will make it”. She now carries the wishes of the people of the hills to excel in her career and inspire many more Malligas.

Meanwhile all eyes are on the Badagas,to see what this success ,of one of their own,means to them.