If you ever doubt that one person can change the world, meet Saalumarada Thimmakka. With no formal education, no resources and no recognition for decades, she quietly grew an entire forest by herself — one sapling, one walk, one pot of water at a time.
Saalumarada Thimmakka was born in 1911 in a small village in Karnataka, India. She never attended school and started working as a daily-wage labourer from a young age. She married Chikkaiah, and though they did not have children, her life would go on to leave a lasting legacy.
They started planting banyan saplings along the road between their village and the next one. In the first year, they planted 10 saplings. The next year, they planted 15 saplings, and 20 more the year after that.
They used all their money and worked hard to protect the young plants. Every day, they carried water for kilometres to help the plants grow. They also built fences using thorny branches to keep animals away. Most saplings were planted during the rainy season so the rain would help them grow faster.
Over the years, Thimmakka and her husband planted and nurtured 385 banyan trees along a 4.5-kilometre stretch of road. Throughout her life, she has planted more than 8,000 trees.
She is often called “Saalumarada,” meaning “row of trees” in Kannada.
Her trees help fight global warming by making the air cleaner and giving shade to people and animals. The trees also help save soil from washing away during rain and give homes to birds and other creatures.
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Saalumarada Thimmakka’s work did not stop with planting trees. In 2019, the government wanted to widen the road where her banyan trees grew. She stood up to protect the 70-year-old trees. She talked to the Chief Minister and helped save the trees from being cut down.
Thimmakka was also known for helping her village in other ways. She took part in building a tank to collect rainwater for an annual village fair. After her husband died in 1991, she wanted to build a hospital in his memory. She set up a trust to make this dream come true.
Because of her great efforts, many groups and governments gave her awards. She received India’s Padma Shri in 2019, the National Citizens’ Award, and the BBC’s 100 Women in 2016. A group in America working on nature education is named after her. In 2020, a university in Karnataka gave her an honorary doctorate.
She became famous not just in India, but all over the world for her love for plants and nature conservation. Even after becoming old, she joined many environmental programs and inspired thousands of people to protect the Earth. A documentary about her life was shown at the International Film Festival of India in 2000.
Thimmakka became an inspiration for nature conservation and afforestation in India. She was called an important environmentalist and a woman influencer by many people. Her story has shown that even without much money or education, one person can help heal our planet by planting and caring for plants.
Thimmakka won many awards and other honours for being a champion of the environment. People around the world learned about her dedication. She kept caring for trees late into her life to make the world greener for future generations.
Saalumarada Thimmakka died in November 2025, but her trees, her work for afforestation, and the message to save nature will live on.
She lived till 114. Nature kept her alive because the world still needed her breath, her steps, and her quiet dedication. The trees she planted seemed to thank her with every breeze.
Imagine living that long with purpose, while the rest of us rush home the moment the clock hits five. That old granny truly rocked, as Gen Z would say. She showed us what it means to live for something bigger than ourselves.
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