Saalumarada Thimmakka
Encyclopedia
Saalumarada Thimmakkais an India
n environmentalist
from the state
of Karnataka
, noted for her work in planting and tending to 284 banyan
trees along a four-kilometre stretch of highway. Her work has been honoured with the National Citizen's Award of India.
A U.S. environmental organisation based in Los Angeles
and Oakland, California
called Thimmakka's Resources for Environmental Education is named after her.
taluk of Bangalore Rural
district in Karnataka
. She received no formal education and worked as a casual labourer in a nearby quarry. She was married to Chikkaiah who was a cattle herder
but they unfortunately could have no children. It is said that Thimmakka started to plant banyan trees in lieu of children. The name word Saalumarada (of the row of trees in Kannada language
) is how she was referred to because of her work.
(banyan) trees were aplenty near Thimmakka's village. Thimakka and her husband started grafting saplings from these trees. Ten saplings were grafted in the first year and they were planted along a distance of 4 kilometres near the neighbouring village of Kudoor. Fifteen saplings were planted in the second year and 20 in the third year. She used her own meager resources for planting these trees. The couple used to carry four pails of water for a distance of four kilometres to water the saplings. They were also protected from grazing cattle by fencing them with thorny shrubs.
The saplings were planted mostly during monsoon
season so that sufficient rain water would be available for them to grow. By the onset of the next monsoons, the saplings had invariably taken root. In total, 284 trees were planted, and their asset value has been assessed at around 1.5 million rupees
. The management of these trees have now been taken over by the Government of Karnataka
.
programs in India. She has also been involved in other social activity like constructing a tank to store rain water for the annual fair held in her village. She also has a dream of constructing a hospital in her village and a trust has been set up for this purpose.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
from the state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, noted for her work in planting and tending to 284 banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
trees along a four-kilometre stretch of highway. Her work has been honoured with the National Citizen's Award of India.
A U.S. environmental organisation based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Oakland, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
called Thimmakka's Resources for Environmental Education is named after her.
Early life
Thimmakka is a native of Hulikal village in the MagadiMagadi
Magadi is a town in Ramanagaram district in the Indian state of Karnataka.Magadi was capital of Kempe Gowda who built Bangalore. It is alsothe setting of the true story "Old Munnusamy and the man-eater of Magadi" by Kenneth Anderson ....
taluk of Bangalore Rural
Bangalore Rural
Bangalore Rural District is one of the 30 districts in Karnataka. It was formed in 1986, when Bangalore district was divided into Bangalore Rural and Bangalore . Presently in Bangalore Rural district, there are 2 divisions, 4 Talukas, 35 Hoblis , 1,713 inhabited and 177 uninhabited villages, 9...
district in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. She received no formal education and worked as a casual labourer in a nearby quarry. She was married to Chikkaiah who was a cattle herder
Herder
A herder is a worker who lives a possibly semi-nomadic life, caring for various domestic animals, in places where these animals wander pasture lands....
but they unfortunately could have no children. It is said that Thimmakka started to plant banyan trees in lieu of children. The name word Saalumarada (of the row of trees in Kannada language
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
) is how she was referred to because of her work.
Achievement
FicusFicus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
(banyan) trees were aplenty near Thimmakka's village. Thimakka and her husband started grafting saplings from these trees. Ten saplings were grafted in the first year and they were planted along a distance of 4 kilometres near the neighbouring village of Kudoor. Fifteen saplings were planted in the second year and 20 in the third year. She used her own meager resources for planting these trees. The couple used to carry four pails of water for a distance of four kilometres to water the saplings. They were also protected from grazing cattle by fencing them with thorny shrubs.
The saplings were planted mostly during monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
season so that sufficient rain water would be available for them to grow. By the onset of the next monsoons, the saplings had invariably taken root. In total, 284 trees were planted, and their asset value has been assessed at around 1.5 million rupees
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
. The management of these trees have now been taken over by the Government of Karnataka
Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor who is appointed for a period of five years appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...
.
Awards
For her achievement, Thimmakka has been conferred with the following awards and citations:- Nadoja Award By Hampi University- 2010
- National Citizen's award - 1995
- IndiraIndiraIndira could refer to the following:Origin of the word:* It is one of the several names of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealthPeople:* Indira Gandhi , Prime Minister of India...
Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award - 1997 (Vrikshamitra="friend of trees") - Veerachakra Prashasthi Award - 1997
- Honour Certificate from the Women and Child Welfare Department, Government of KarnatakaGovernment of KarnatakaThe Government of Karnataka is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor who is appointed for a period of five years appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...
- Certificate of Appreciation from the Indian Institute of Wood Science and Technology, BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. - Karnataka Kalpavalli Award - 2000
- Godfrey Phillips Bravery Award - 2006.
- Vishalakshi Award by Art of LivingArt of LivingThe Art of Living Foundation is a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental organization . It was founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with the vision of creating a stress-free, violence-free society...
Organisation
Current activity
Thimmakka's husband died in 1991. Today, Thimmakka is invited to many afforestationAfforestation
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest. Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally or artificially...
programs in India. She has also been involved in other social activity like constructing a tank to store rain water for the annual fair held in her village. She also has a dream of constructing a hospital in her village and a trust has been set up for this purpose.