Karnataka's Saalumarada Thimmakka - Mother To Thousands Of Trees - Dies At 114

Saalumarada Thimmakka, India’s beloved “Tree Woman” who planted and nurtured over 8,000 trees in Karnataka, died on November 14 at the age of 114. She was awarded with Padma Shri by president Ram Nath kovind in 2019. Her demise marks the end of an era in grassroots environmentalism, but her legacy continues through the banyan lined roads she transformed, the saplings she raised like her own children, and the tree parks now named in her honour across Karnataka.

Even in her final message, she urged people to “plant saplings and grow them into trees,” leaving behind not only a forest, but a lifelong mission for the nation to carry forward.

Thimmakka's early life 

Thimmakka was born in Gubbi Taluk in Tumkur in Karnataka. She was a regular school-going little girl until her family forced her to drop out of school. Thimmakka's family was not very well off and if she did not go to school, they could save the school fees and have two extra hands for farming in their field. 

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They did not realise that this course of life was their daughter's realisation of her purpose as well. As Thimmakka spent most of her time in fields and nature, she developed a liking for the magic it has. She developed love and empathy for the whole of nature, especially trees. 

It was at the tender age of twelve that Thimmakka got married to Chikkaiah, who belonged to the Hulikal village of Ramanagara district.

When Thimmakka planted her first tree

What prompted Thimmakka to go on the field and plant her first tree? It was a hot afternoon, she and her husband were walking along the road.

Due to the lack of trees, they were directly exposed to the afternoon heat. To Thimmakka's eyes, the view felt very barren and lifeless. 

She along with her husband laid the first seed for banyan and tamarind trees there. The OG couple was way ahead of their time and applied the concept of 'equal power, equal responsibility' among themselves.

How? Chikkaiah used to dig the pits while Saalumarada carried pots filled with water for saplings. All the pots and other planting equipment came from their earnings.

Obstacles along the way

Thimmakka faced a couple of personal as well as professional challenges. In 1991, she lost her husband, who was also her partner in her environmental pursuits. 

On the professional front, it was in the year 2019 that the 385 banyan trees planted by her came under the direct threat of being chopped down for the widening of Bagepalli-Halaguru road in 2019.

But she applied resistance with remarkability. On the health front, she underwent hip surgery recently which was successful. 

How did Thimmakka become Saalumarada?

Thimmakka has always played the green game beyond the ordinary. She always challenged her limits and collecting rainwater to nourish the trees when there were no proper irrigation facilities in place, was just the beginning.  

The enormously giant number of 8000 trees she has to her name is truly commendable. This got her the title of "Saalumarada" which means "row of trees" in Karnataka.

Since then, she has been strutting around as the human manifestation of a row of trees.