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Saalumarada Thimmakka, Pioneering Indian Environmentalist, Dies at 114

The Padma Shri laureate was revered for planting 385 banyan trees along the Hulikal–Kudur road in Karnataka.

Overview

  • She died at a private hospital in Bengaluru after a period of illness, according to family sources.
  • Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah offered condolences, lauding her lifelong devotion to planting and caring for trees.
  • Born in 1911 in Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru district, she had no formal education and turned to nurturing saplings after remaining childless.
  • Working with her late husband, she planted and tended banyan trees along what is now State Highway 94, a project that became a hallmark of grassroots conservation.
  • Her contributions earned multiple honors, including the Padma Shri in 2019, and cemented her status as an inspiration for community-led environmental stewardship.