Saalumarada Thimmakka from Karnataka has found happiness in planting trees. She has planted more than 350 banyan trees on both the sides of a highway near Bengaluru. She has also planted nearly 8000 other trees. She did not go to school. She was a casual labourer in a quarry. She was conferred with a Padma Shri in 2019. It is believed that she started planting banyan trees along with her husband in lieu of children. Now she is a mother for hundreds of trees.
She is fondly known as Tree Woman. She celebrated her celebrates her 111 year birthday today, 1.7.22. When asked about the secret of her long life, she says that it is due to the blessings of trees planted by her & her husband. Both of them fell in love with the banyan tree after seeing a picture of baby Krishna lying on a leaf of a banyan tree. That is why they began planting banyan trees. Below that picture there was Sanskrit Shloka which meant: I bow to that baby Krishna who is putting a lotus in the form of foot in his lotus -like mouth with his hand that resembles a lotus while lying on a leaf of banyan: Kararvinden Padarvindam Mukharvinde Viniveshyantam Vatasya Patrasya Pute Shayanam Balam Mukundam Manasa Smarami.
Harini Nagendra, a Prof. at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, & an admirer of Thimmakka, says that one more inspiration forj akka’s love for trees, especially banyan is due to her childhood visit to an enormous banyan tree in Bidarguppe, as she had gone to visit a nearby temple along with her parents. This tree is 300 years old and it is a veritable palace of greenery sheltering multiple forms of life.
Akka which means an elder sister in Kannada has become a living legend for lovers of nature all over the world after she was awarded a Padmashri. Karnataka Govt. has given her a house so that her daily visitors could comfortably sit in a visitors room. When you read about this remarkable lady’s service to nature, you do not wonder why Dattatreya named a tree as one of his Gurus as trees virtually live for others: Paropakaray Phalanti Vrukshah i.e. the trees bear fruits for others.
No wonder Thimmakka found divine bliss while serving the trees throughout her life. In the words of Marathi poet Yashwant, one can say : Divyatvachi Jithe Pracheeti, Tethe Kar Maze Julati. Meaning I fold my hands in veneration wherever I feel a divine presence. Naturally I bow my head before this mother of hundreds of trees who in turn have blessed her & her spouse with a long , healthy & happy life. May her Tribe increase!

Saalumarada Thimmakka – 111 Year Old Mother To Hundreds Of Trees
Latest from Activism

Gaza Aid ‘Family Boat’ Fire Mystery: 6 Crew Safe as Activists and Tunisia Dispute Drone Strike Claims
A Gaza-bound aid boat caught fire in Tunisian waters on September 8, 2025, while anchored off the coast of Sidi Bou Said. Six crew members escaped unharmed as conflicting accounts emerge about

Banksy’s Royal Courts Mural Covered Within Hours as 890 Protesters Face Terrorism Charges
A new Banksy artwork depicting a judge striking a protester appeared on London’s Royal Courts of Justice on September 8, 2025, only to be covered within hours by court officials citing the

Gaza Flotilla 90 Miles Out Reports Drone Surveillance: ‘They Hate Us For Doing the Right Thing
The “Global Sumud Flotilla” – a humanitarian convoy carrying critical supplies for Gaza – has reached approximately 90 nautical miles from Minorca while reporting extensive surveillance operations. “We have detected the first

Seeds of Change: 400+ Youth Leaders Address 40,000-Acre LA Wildfires at UCLA Climate Justice Summit August 30
The devastating Southern California wildfires of January 2025 may have cooled, but their memory fuels a gathering of young minds at UCLA on Saturday, August 30, 2025. The Seeds of Change Summit

Boyle Whistleblower Case: From 66 Charges to No Conviction as Experts Warn of ‘Chilling Effect on Truth’
Seven years after going public in 2018, Richard Boyle walked out of court without a conviction. He has said he is “broken, physically, mentally and financially.” The Long Road to Justice Boyle

Air Canada Strike Declared Unlawful: 500,000 Passengers Stranded as Cabin Crew Fights for Boarding Pay
The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has declared the Air Canada flight attendants’ strike unlawful, ordering CUPE leadership and members to resume duties immediately with a noon ET deadline for public notice

Tacugama Sanctuary Closes: Sierra Leone Loses 39% of Forests as Founder Protests ‘Land Grabbing’ Near Chimps
West Africa’s largest chimpanzee refuge has remained closed to tourists for more than two months. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, nestled in Sierra Leone’s Western Area Peninsula National Park, halted all tourism operations

Wallis Annenberg Dies at 86: $1.5B in Grants and $1.2B Foundation Transforms LA Landscape
Wallis Annenberg, the philanthropist who reshaped Los Angeles through more than $1.5 billion in charitable grants and left her name on landmarks across the city, died peacefully on Monday from lung cancer

NSW Bomb Cyclone Alert: 300mm Rain, 100km/h Winds Expected as 11,000 SES Volunteers Mobilize
A powerful weather system known as a “bomb cyclone” is bearing down on New South Wales, with authorities warning residents to prepare immediately for potentially dangerous conditions expected to peak on Tuesday

LA Curfew Imposed: 469 Arrests Made as Mayor Declares Emergency After Immigration Protests Turn Violent
A curfew now covers one square mile of downtown Los Angeles from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mayor Karen Bass announced the restriction Tuesday as protests against immigration raids entered their fifth

‘Kidnapped in International Waters’: Greta Thunberg Called ‘Antisemitic’ as Israel Seizes Aid Ship Near Starving Gaza
In the early hours of June 9, 2025, Israeli naval forces intercepted the Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The vessel, with activists including Greta Thunberg aboard, was boarded at

Greta Thunberg Sails on Madleen Aid Ship to Gaza Where 66,000 Children Face Severe Malnutrition
The Mediterranean Sea stretches endlessly ahead as the Madleen cuts through waters that have become a flashpoint for international humanitarian law. Named after Gaza’s first female fisherwoman, this 12-person vessel carries more

Valmik Thapar Dies at 73 After 50 Years Tracking Tigers and Serving on 150+ Wildlife Panels
Valmik Thapar, who spent 50 years fighting for India’s tigers, died on May 31, 2025, after battling cancer. He was 73. Thapar became a leading voice for tiger protection without any formal

17 States Sue Trump Over Offshore Wind Halt Endangering $28 Billion in Clean Energy Investments
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging its January 2025 executive order that halted offshore wind projects nationwide. The legal battle centers on

Gates $200B Foundation Closure 2045; Zuckerberg CZI Cuts DEI Programs | Silicon Valley Philanthropy Shift
Bill Gates just made philanthropy history with the largest charitable commitment of modern times. The Microsoft co-founder announced his foundation will spend $200 billion over the next 20 years before shutting down