Kollakkayil Devaki Amma: The Padma Shri Awardee Who Built A Forest

Kollakkayil Devaki Amma G received the Padma Shri award for her lifelong contribution to afforestation and environmental conservation in Kerala. At the age of 92, she was recognised in the Unsung Heroes category for decades of sustained ecological work carried out at the community level.

Based in the Alappuzha district, she transformed barren coastal sandy land into a thriving green ecosystem through consistent personal effort. Her recognition reflects the growing national focus on grassroots and community led environmental protection.

Kollakkayil Devaki Amma is a grassroots environmental conservationist from Kerala who has devoted more than four decades to afforestation and biodiversity protection.

She belongs to the Kollakkal family of Muthukulam in Alappuzha district. Her work has been carried out almost entirely within her home region which is known for coastal sandy soil and limited forest cover.

Without institutional backing or large scale funding she pursued environmental restoration through daily physical labour long term planning and careful nurturing of native plant species. Her work has since become a documented example of community driven ecological restoration.

Early Life and the Beginning of Her Green Mission

Devaki Amma developed a close relationship with agriculture and land from a young age. Her family owned agricultural land including paddy fields and she participated in farming activities during her childhood.

This early exposure helped her gain practical knowledge of soil conditions plant growth and seasonal cycles. In the 1980s her life took a decisive turn when an accident injured her leg and forced her to stop active farming.

Unable to continue traditional agriculture, she began planting saplings in her backyard. With the support of her husband, late M K Gopalakrishna Pillai, a retired headmaster, she gradually expanded this effort.

What began with a single sapling slowly grew into a long term afforestation project around her home. Despite physical limitations and advancing age she continued planting trees and shrubs with patience and consistency.

Her approach relied on organic methods and local ecological understanding. Only organic fertilisers were used and plant growth was allowed to follow natural processes. Over time, this sustained effort improved soil quality and converted sandy land into fertile ground capable of supporting dense vegetation.

Kollakkal Tapovanam and Environmental Contribution

The forest created by Devaki Amma is known as Kollakkal Tapovanam. Spread across nearly five acres this woman made forest stands as a dense green ecosystem in a region that once had little vegetation.

Today the Tapovanam contains more than 3,000 plant species including rare indigenous endangered and medicinal plants. Among them are over 1,000 biologically important tree species adapted to coastal conditions.

The forest includes sandalwood umbrella tree autograph plant musk tree star tree mahogany fruit bearing trees tuber crops and a wide variety of medicinal plants. Around 200 species of plants provide fruits vegetables and flowers. Small water bodies within the forest support local wildlife and help maintain moisture levels.

Kollakkal Tapovanam has become a habitat for diverse fauna. Birds such as peacock, owl, emerald dove, paradise flycatcher and black-winged stilt are commonly seen along with monkeys and other small animals.

The dense vegetation has improved local biodiversity strengthened soil stability and created favourable microclimatic conditions in the surrounding area.

The forest is now used as a learning site for students researchers and visitors interested in biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration. Devaki Amma continues to follow a daily routine connected to the forest and also conducts informal classes for children who visit on study trips.

Devaki Amma has received several national recognitions prior to the Padma Shri including the Nari Shakti Puraskar, Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award and Vanamitra Award. Her work was also mentioned by former President Ram Nath Kovind in his Republic Day address.

Her daughter Professor Thankamani a former head of the Environmental Engineering Department at Thiruvananthapuram Engineering College, is her full-time caregiver and supports the continuation of this work along with other family members.

Through consistent long term effort, Kollakkayil Devaki Amma has established a living example of grassroots environmental conservation rooted in disciplined local knowledge and sustained care for nature.