15/11/2025
Saalumarada Thimmakka, lovingly known as the _Mother of Trees_ , has passed away at 114, leaving behind a legacy rooted in patience, care and an unwavering commitment to the environment.
With no formal education, limited resources and no children of her own, she began planting saplings to fill a quiet void. She tended to each banyan sapling with a mother’s instinct, shaping a 4.5 km green corridor in Karnataka that would one day define her legacy. Till date, she has planted over 8,000 other trees.
Her life story remains one of India’s most powerful examples of how love, resilience and stewardship can reshape entire landscapes.
(Saalumarada Thimmakka, Mother of Trees, Karnataka, environmentalist, grassroots conservation, banyan trees, no resources, nurtured trees, Padma Shri)