Saalumarada Thimmakka was a famous environmentalist from Karnataka, known for planting hundreds of trees and inspiring the whole country. Even without formal education, she dedicated her life to protecting nature. Her work earned her national and international respect, making her one of India’s most loved green warriors.
Thimmakka was born on 30 June 1911 in Gubbi Taluk, which is in today’s Tumakuru district of Karnataka. She did not go to school and worked as a daily-wage labourer in a nearby quarry. She was married to Chikkaiah from Hulikal village. The couple could not have children, and it is believed that their love for trees grew from this sadness. Because she planted long rows of trees, she came to be lovingly called “Saalumarada,” which means “row of trees” in Kannada. She also has a foster son named Umesh.
Near her village, many banyan trees grew naturally. Thimmakka and her husband began grafting saplings from these trees. In the first year, they planted 10 saplings along the road from Hulikal to Kudur. The next years, they planted 15 and then 20 more. They used their own small earnings for this work.
Every day, they carried water for several kilometres to keep the young plants alive. To protect them from animals, they surrounded the saplings with thorny branches. Most saplings were planted during the monsoon so the rain could help them grow.
Over the years, they planted and cared for 385 banyan trees, which today are worth lakhs of rupees. The Karnataka Government now takes care of these trees.
In 2019, the banyan trees were in danger of being cut down for a road-widening project. Thimmakka requested the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka to protect them. The government then decided to look for other plans to save the 70-year-old trees.
Thimmakka’s great service to nature brought her many awards. Some of the major ones include:
Important Awards
She also received several certificates and prizes from government departments, universities, and environmental groups. A U.S.-based organisation named Thimmakka’s Resources for Environmental Education is also named in her honour. In 2020, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Central University of Karnataka.
Thimmakka’s husband passed away in 1991. Even after his death, she continued to join many tree-planting and environmental programs across India. She also helped with other social activities, like building a water tank for her village fair.
She dreams of building a hospital in memory of her husband, and a trust has been set up for this purpose. A documentary about her life, titled “Thimmakka Mathu 284 Makkalu,” was screened at the International Film Festival of India in 2000.
In 2016, the BBC included her in the list of the world’s most inspiring and influential women. This boosted her recognition across the globe.
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