Padma Shri Environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka Passes Away at 114

Saalumarada Thimmakka, the legendary Padma Shri environmentalist who planted and raised 385 banyan trees as her own children along a 4.5-kilometer rural highway, passed away on Friday at the age of 114 in a Bengaluru private hospital after a prolonged illness, leaving behind an indelible legacy of grassroots afforestation that transformed barren landscapes into thriving green corridors in Karnataka.

Born on June 30, 1911, in the modest village of Gubbi taluk in Tumakuru district, the unlettered and childless Thimmakka channeled profound personal loss into purposeful action, beginning in the 1960s by planting saplings along the Hulikal-Kudur stretch in Ramanagara district; each tree she watered and protected earned her the enduring title “Saalumarada” – meaning “row of trees” – and elevated her to a national symbol of sustainable environmental stewardship.

Over seven decades, Thimmakka’s unwavering dedication garnered 12 prestigious accolades, including the Padma Shri in 2019, the Nadoja Award from Hampi University in 2010, the National Citizen Award in 1995, and the Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award in 1997, while her story inspired countless conservation initiatives and cemented her status as a beacon for women-led ecological movements across India and beyond.

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Tributes flooded in from environmentalists, activists, and citizens alike, hailing Thimmakka as a pioneering green warrior whose quiet labor outplanted governments and whose living monuments will shade and sustain generations long after her departure, ensuring her spirit endures in every leaf and root of the forests she mothered.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed profound grief, stating that the state had grown “poorer” with the loss of “Salumara Timmakka,” whose lifelong devotion to thousands of trees rendered her immortal; he prayed for her soul’s eternal peace, extended heartfelt condolences to her family, and vowed to honor her memory through continued statewide plantation drives.

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