Long before ‘environment’ and ‘afforestation’ became fashionable buzzwords, one humble woman in rural Karnataka quietly built a living legacy. Without education, money, or public recognition, she planted and nurtured 385 banyan trees – a gift that today shelters countless travellers, animals, and entire ecosystems.
This is the story of Saalumarada Thimmakka, an ordinary woman whose extraordinary compassion made her a symbol of environmental stewardship for the world.
Born in a remote hamlet in Tumkur district, Thimmakka was one of six children growing up in grinding poverty. She worked as a farmhand and manual labourer until, at the age of sixteen, she married Chikkiah, a poor farmer from nearby Ramanagara district. (Hindi film Sholay was extensively shot in this area.)
Marriage brought companionship but little change to their impoverished lives. What weighed on them most was the stigma of being a childless couple, a label that carried deep social pain in their community.
To fill the void and find a purpose for themselves, Thimmakka and Chikkiah began planting banyan saplings along a barren mud road. They chose the resilient, generous banyan tree – one that could provide shade, shelter, and food for decades.
Together, they planted 385 banyan trees, caring for them like their own children. Every day, the couple carried four pails of water for nearly four kilometres, ensuring the young saplings survived harsh summers and unpredictable rains.
Thimmakka, a Vruksha Matha to a few thousand green ‘children’
When Chikkiah passed away in 1991, Thimmakka continued working alone with renewed devotion. Over the years, she went on to plant around 8,000 trees across the district. Her tireless work earned her the affectionate title “Vruksha Mathe” – Mother of Trees.
The birds, squirrels, beehives, monkeys, and countless small animals that found refuge in her trees became her real reward. Watching life flourish under the branches she had raised, gave her immeasurable joy. She asked for nothing in return.
“Green is my sword, make it yours,” she said famously.
Awards flowed in from across the state and country, culminating in the Padma Shri in 2019, one of India’s highest civilian honours. During the award ceremony, the nation watched in delight as this uneducated villager Thimmakka blessed the President of India Ram Nath Kovind by placing her hand on his head – an unfiltered gesture of rustic warmth.
Today, thousands of travellers walk or drive under the cool shade of her banyan trees. Millions have drawn inspiration from her life. And ecosystems continue to thrive because of her simple, steadfast commitment to nurturing nature.
The centenarian Thimmakka passed away on 14 November 2025, leaving behind a legacy no millionaire could ever match – an inheritance of green, of shade, of life.
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