Meet Saalumarada Thimmakka, 111-year-old environmentalist given a cabinet rank

Saalumarada Thimmakka was honoured with a cabinet rank on her 111th birthday by Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai and was also made an environment ambassador.

Padma Shri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka was appointed as Karnataka environment ambassador with a government cabinet rank on Friday by Basavaraj Bommai-led government.

Padma Shri awardee Dr. Saalumarada Thimmakka with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. (Image source: bharathjoshi/Twitter)

"Thanks to Chief Minister Shri @BSBommai for appointing Vrikshamate, Nadoja Salumarada Thimmakka as environment ambassador and giving her status of a cabinet minister. The environmental concern of Salumarada Thimmakka, who nurtured trees like her own children, is a model for the entire society," health minister K Sudhakar tweeted.

The 111-year-old environmentalist is known for planting 385 banyan trees and 8,000 other trees over 80 years, and was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2019. Born in Gubbi taluk, Tumkur, she was a labourer at a quarry and found solace in planting trees with her husband. As she does not have children, she raised her trees like her own children. Her contribution to the environment was first recognised in 1995 when she was awarded the National Citizen's Award of India.

A US environmental organisation based in Los Angeles and Oakland, California, called Thimmakka's Resources for Environmental Education is named after her. The Central University of Karnataka also announced an honorary doctorate for Thimmakka in 2020. Thimmakka's husband passed away in 1991, post which she continued with her passion of conserving the environment.

Thimmakka, who celebrated her 111th birthday on June 30 at Dr BR Ambedkar Bhavan in Bengaluru, planted trees along a 45-kilometre stretch of highway between Hulikal and Kudur, which is being asked to be declared a conservation reserve by nature-lovers.

This stretch came under threat when a project was proposed for the widening of Bagepalli-Halaguru road in 2019. However, Thimmakka requested the then chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and deputy CM G Parameshwara to reconsider the project. After this, the government decided to look for alternatives to save Thimmakka's trees.

Chief minister Bommai, along with housing minister V Sommana, former deputy CM G Parameshwara, and BJP leader Tejaswini Anantakumar were all present at Thimmakka's 111th birthday celebrations, where Bommai said the government will allocate 10 acres near her native village in Hassan.

The Karnataka government also allotted a Bengaluru development authority (BDA) site of 50 x 80 dimension in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout to Thimmakka on her birthday.