Days after undergoing cardiac surgery, centenarian Saalumarada Thimmakka, living up to the prefix to her name which means ‘avenue of trees’, is planning to plant 100 Banyan saplings along the 5-kilometre stretch between Hulikal and Kudur, in Magadi taluk of Ramanagara district, abutting Bengaluru.
This is the same stretch where Thimmakka, along with her husband, had planted around 400 Banyan saplings decades ago. Having not been formally educated, she worked as a daily wage labourer back then. The couple, who did not have children, decided to plant trees as their legacy. She is said to have planted over 8,000 trees, apart from the ones on this stretch, and has turned into an influential voice on fostering our environment. She was honoured with the Padma Shri for her efforts in 2019, among several other awards.
With some of the trees she planted decades back having fallen in the last few years, Thimmakka wants to replace them with new saplings. “I will go and plant new Banyan saplings there. They are already ready in our nursery. I would have done it earlier if not for my health issues. As soon as I feel better, I will take it up,” Thimmakka told The Hindu.
