Vrikshamate Thimmakka died at 114, leaving behind a legendary green legacy.
She planted nearly 8,000 trees, including 385 banyans along a 4 km stretch.
Padma Shri awardee, she became India’s enduring symbol of grassroots environmentalism.
The iron-willed woman who was popularly known as “Vrikshamate” (mother of trees) across India has finally closed her eyes forever. She breathed her last on 14th November 2025 at the age of 114 in Bengaluru. Her death feels like someone took away the shade of an ancient tree that once provided shelter to travellers. She lived a meaningful life, witnessing her saplings grow into trees and receiving honours from the government. Her presence served as a landmark model of grassroots environmentalism long before the world knew her name.
Saalumarada Thimmakka was born into a modest household on 30th June 1911 in Gubbi taluk, which is now located in the Tumakuru district of Karnataka. She worked as a labourer in her youth as she received little to no formal education. She later got married, but the happiness of having a child was something that would never become a reality. She and her husband then began planting banyan saplings beside the road near their home in Hulikal, treating the trees as their children. This gave them a sense of purpose and peace as they nurtured the small saplings into towering banyan trees.
She was named “Saalumarada,” which means “row of trees” in Kannada, owing to her attachment to the trees that she and her husband nurtured. She cared for them as her children, watering them during dry seasons and protecting the young saplings from grazing animals and roadside damage. She continued the work even after her husband’s death in 1991. The personal ritual soon transformed into a public, ecological accomplishment.
She tended to around 385 banyan trees along a 4–4.5 kilometre stretch of road between Hulikal and Kudur in Ramanagara. This has gained widespread acknowledgement as the green corridor provides shade to passersby, habitat to birds, and a striking visual testament to her environmental commitment. She has also planted trees across local villages and public land, adding up to nearly 8,000 trees. She started with the basic process of planting, watering, constant guarding, and coaxing the plants rather than relying on incentives or large-scale funding.
Her environmental work began quite early, but fame came to her later in life. Attention was first drawn to her by local journalists, which eventually led to national recognition. She has several awards to her name, including the National Citizen’s Award (1995) and the Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award (1997). The highest formal honour conferred on her came in 2019 when she was awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution to environmental protection. Her name was also included in the BBC’s “100 Women,” which features inspirational women from around the world. She was regarded as a symbol of community-led afforestation by state governments and civic bodies.
She worked out of personal choice and usually kept away from publicity or rewards. She often refused cash offers or cheques, instead requesting facilities such as the building of a maternity hospital in her area as an honour. The bond she shared with the trees and the community remained steady. When she received the Padma Shri award, she was seen blessing the then-President, a moment that was widely circulated and became a part of her public legacy.
She was reportedly suffering from breathing-related and other age-related issues, which made her frail and resulted in multiple hospitalisations in her final years. She passed away at a Bengaluru hospital, closing a nourishing chapter. Many leaders, political figures, authorities, and environmental groups expressed condolences and announced tree-planting drives and commemorative initiatives to honour her work and life. Trees were a major part of her identity, so planting saplings in multiple places in her name would be the most symbolic tribute to the pure soul.
The story of Saalumarada Thimmakka is a perfect blend of simplicity and inspiration for upcoming generations. She started an environmental movement that was transformative, sustainable, low-cost, and rooted in care, different from the usual technocratic approaches. She silently delivered the message that small acts can go a long way in bringing about wide change.
The life of Vrikshamate was not dramatic in the conventional sense; her days were not filled with headline-grabbing campaigns or institutional empires but with simple, grounded living. Her life was measured by the trees that once stood on barren ground. The banyan trees that now stand tall tell the saga of the care with which she nurtured the greenery around her.
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