Saalumarada Thimmakka (Pic: SH)
Rarely do we leave the world richer while dealing with an emptiness within.
A childless couple, instead of brooding over what life has not given, leaves behind a living green heritage this world had never heard of.
82-year-old Salumarada Thimmakka is a native of Hulikal village in Magadi taluk of Bangalore Rural district. Many decades ago, she trekked 3 kms every day carrying two pitchers of water to nurture the banyan saplings she planted along with her husband Chikkayya on the Bangalore-Nelamangala highway.
It was a calling she answered for 45 years even after Chikkayya passed away. Nearly four hundred banyan trees, massive carbon sinks and home to millions of birds, silently salute her undying spirit and selfless contribution.
Benefit to the environment? Priceless! Her life? An epic tale.
Thimmakka has received numerous awards and recognitions. A US environmental organisation—Thimmakka’s Resources for Environmental Education— is named after her.
I talked to her on the phone recently to inform that she was conferred upon the IGBC Green Champion award. She expressed her inability to travel to Bangalore to receive the award, but asked if it would help her get her long-standing demand—a hospital for her village—materialised.
I had no answer.
Related articles: The tale of two Bangalore lakes
ENDLESSLY GREEN 
Hello
Greetings from the Bhoomi Magazine Team
Eternal Bhoomi, is a quarterly magazine which is committed to offering holistic and cutting edge perspectives on sustainability by renowned writers and thinkers from around the world as well as practical ideas and examples of earth conscious living. The Bhoomi magazine is brought out by Bhoomi Network, a not-for-profit organization committed to education and action for sustainable living. At present some of our contributors include The Dalai Lama, Vandana Shiva, Satish Kumar of Resurgence, Jonathon Porritt, Helena Norberg Hodge to name a few. Our website http://www.bhoomimagazine.org will give you an idea of Bhoomi’s work till now.
In the last 4 years, Eternal Bhoomi has been sent to 4000 school and college Libraries as well as to many others. Feedback from teachers around the country that they appreciate articles from the Bhoomi Magazine and use them for discussions in their classes does motivate us to keep bringing it out. As a magazine without commercial ads, we survive in a gift culture where several authors, artists and photographers give us gifts of their work. In every issue the Bhoomi magazine has focused on themes like Food, Ecological Sanity, Rethinking Education, Gaia – Our living Earth, Community and Commons and so on. In addition, we cover articles that share holistic perspectives on earth consciousness and sustainability as well as stories that offer positive and practical ideas for transitioning to eco-wise living.
We would be happy if you can support us by allowing us to re-print this blog post on Thimmakka in our forthcoming issue which features stories of extraordinary selflessness and gift giving. If yes, please let us know details of credits that need to be given. Looking forward to hearing from you…
LikeLike
It will be an honour to see this article featured in your esteemed ‘Bhoomi’. Thank you for choosing this feature.
Let the byline be: Savita Hiremath
Thanks again,
Savita
LikeLike