Mysore, Nov. 14: Padma Shri awardee Salumarada Thimmakka (114) has passed away at a private hospital in Jayanagar, Bengaluru. Thimmakka, who was admitted to the hospital due to respiratory problems, breathed her last at the hospital after treatment failed.
Salumarada Thimmakka was born on June 30, 1911, in a poor family in Gubbi taluk of the then Mysore State (now Tumkur). Popularly known as Salumarada Thimmakka, she has contributed immensely to environmental conservation throughout her life. Despite being illiterate, she has set an example for the entire world by planting and nurturing trees. Forgetting the sorrow of not having children, she has raised the trees with maternal affection, considering them her children.
Thimmakka and her husband Chikkayya have planted and nurtured more than 385 banyan trees on both sides of the 4.5 km highway between Hulikal and Kudur in Ramanagara district. Despite poverty, with the meager income from daily wage work, they have brought water to the trees from a distance of four kilometers, put up thorn fences to protect them from cattle and nurtured them.
Thimmakka, a tree-dwelling woman, has received national and international recognition for her great work. In 2019, she was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award. She has also received several awards and honors, including the National Citizen Award in 1996 and the Godfrey Phillips Award in 2006.
To create awareness about environmental protection, the Karnataka government has appointed Thimmakka as an 'Environment Ambassador' and has also given her cabinet-level status. This is a testament to his environmental concern and impact on society. Parks have also been developed across the state in his name.