Saalumarada Thimmakka (30 June 1911 – 14 November 2025) was an Indian environmentalist from Karnataka, renowned for planting over 8,000 trees, including 385 banyan trees along a 4.5 km highway. Inspired by her inability to have children, she and her husband nurtured the saplings like their own children, walking miles daily to water them. Her lifelong work earned her the name "Saalumarada" (meaning "a row of trees" in Kannada) and numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri award in 2019.
Life and Legacy
Born in the Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru district, Karnataka, Thimmakka worked as a casual labourer and had no formal education. Unable to have children of her own, she and her husband, Chikkaiah, found purpose and joy in planting and tending to banyan trees as if they were their children.
Their most famous work involved planting 385 banyan trees along a 4.5-kilometre stretch of highway between Hulikal and Kudur in the Ramanagara district. She and her husband would carry heavy pails of water for miles to nurture the saplings, protecting them from grazing animals with thorny fences.
She passed away in Bengaluru on November 14, 2025, at the age of 114.
Yallappa Nandi
