Bengaluru: Renowned environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee ‘Saalumarada’ Thimmakka passed away at the age of 114 on Friday. She was undergoing treatment for respiratory complications at a private hospital in Jayanagar in Bengaluru, where she passed away at noon after her condition worsened.

Born on June 30, 1911, in Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru district, Thimmakka was married to Chikkayya in Hulikal village. The couple had no children, which led her to plant and nurture banyan saplings along the roadside, caring for them as her own children. This earned her the affectionate title “Saalumarada (row of trees)” Thimmakka.

Despite being illiterate, she became an international symbol of environmental conservation.

Over the years, she received numerous honours, including the Rajyotsava Award, Vi

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