
Saluting environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka this Earth Day
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 to promote harmony among various beings living on our planet.
“He that plant trees, loves others besides himself.”
– Thomas Fuller, Writer
As children, you’re taught about the significance of preserving mother earth. Be it at school or home it’s ingrained into you how simple habits like closing the water tap after use, replacing plastic bags with paper bags and planting saplings around your house can help the environment. But how many of you take these practices seriously and do your bit for the environment?
On the occasion of the 49th International Mother Earth Day, Team Storyweavers, brings to you the life and work of environmentalist and Padma Shri award winner Saalumarada Thimmakka. She has single-handedly planted over 8000 trees and is an example for all of us to emulate.
Born in a poor family in Gubbi village of Tumakuru in Karnataka, Thimmakka did not have the privilege to go to school. She started working in a quarry at a young age and was soon married to Bikkala Chikkayya, a labourer from Hulikal village. Being childless worried the couple. That’s when Chikkayya came up with the brilliant idea to plant saplings and nurture them as their own children.
What started off as a solution to a personal crisis soon became their life’s mission. They, together, planted about 385 banyan trees along a four-km stretch from Hulikal to Kudoor. After Chikkayya’s death, Thimmakka continued the noble deed of planting trees. Her outstanding work earned her a name Saalumarada (meaning row of trees in Kannada).
Thimmakka’s contributions to the betterment of the environment don’t limit to planting trees alone. She has also been an active campaigner of rainwater harvesting and is working towards building a hospital in her village. She’s a recipient of various awards and has been listed in BBC’s most influential and inspiring 100 women.
Thimmakka, who recently turned 107, encourages everyone, especially children, to plant a sapling and nurture it into a tree. Her philosophy is – “If you want to fill the void of emptiness then plant a dream and nourish it like your own baby.”
We hope Thimmakka’s story inspires you to do your bit for mother earth. Do tell us what you would like to do for our planet earth.
Plant a sapling for a greener tomorrow!
Like this story? Read similar stories at The Learning Tree.

Books are Tanaya Goswami’s first love and cheesecakes come a close second. Talking about movies, music, calligraphy, politics, and Elon Musk will get you listed under the friends’ section of her diary. Ever since moving on from her job as an English lecturer, she spends her time at BYJU’S crafting stories filled with emotion and sprinkled with sarcasm. Outside of work, she’s either learning something new (French, most recently!) or is curled up with a book and a cup of coffee. She firmly believes that discovering what you don’t know is the key to knowledge and is constantly working towards improving herself.
Drop in a line at storyweavers@byjus.com if you liked her stories, have something nice to say, or if you have compelling ideas to share!
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Thanks byjus for this information 🤗🤗😁
Very nice thanks byjus we love you byjus
It was a great inspirational story thanks Byjus for getting to me know about it 🤗🤗🤗😊😊😊
Thank you byjus for giving such a awareness
Let us change our world!!Let us take a step forward to change our
beautiful blue planet from this destructive means…..
Wish you all HAPPY EARTH DAY
Really such a inspirational story for us
Thnx byjus
Great thanks to byju’s and special thanks to Mrs.Thimmakka for her great contribution to our environment.
I am truly inspired by this inspirational role model and will plant some sapling smyself for our future.🙂🙏
Tq byjus for this information.i will definitely plant a small sapling
I will reuse the products nd save electricity
Thanks for giving such information.
Thank you Byjus for such a lovely information!!
You are really spreading the message of plantation more wide! 🌹🌹🤗🤗☺️☺️
Without 🌲 we cannot survive on the earth so please how many people in your family
You can want number of families we you have plant 🌲
Suppose you have four number of family members you want to plant 🌲whole you want
Plants like this 🌲 🌲 🌲
Thank you for such informative facts! Plant trees more and more… Let the world breathe fresh air…. And let us feel fresh and feel free. Keep planting trees. We must make it a habit to plant at least one tree earth on our birthdays. Such an initiative would surely help us step toward a pollution free world!
Ya, thanks so much for sharing this post of saving trees we can hang on to plant a seed in the 🌍
It was a great inspirational story.thank you byju’s
It’s a great inspirational story for me…..
Thank Byjus for such philanthropic information which
Inspires millions of people to give a shape
Of clean earth.
Thanks for the information……on 22 April my mom’s birthday is there 😊😊😊
Thanks BYJUS for informing us about the the importance of plants in our society.👌👍😃
good
Thanks byjus for this earth dAY INFORMATION
Thanks for spending your valuable time for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thanks byju’s for this information
Every year I plant a sapling this year also I will plant.thankyou byjus
Thanks Byjus for this information. I will definitely plant sapling I will reuse the products and I save electricity
Thanks byjus for sending me very useful information about Earth’Day
From Janhavi
Thankyou byju’s for this advice
The journey starts from our own home… We should start from today for a greener tommorow…plant a sapling to save 100 lives…We should save our mother Earth… Thank you byju’s.
Thanks Byju’s for such a brilliant info.
Happy Earth Day to all 🌏🌍🌎
It is very interesting story. We should definitely
plant more trees. 😄😃
Thank you byju’s for giving so useful knowledge to us 😊😊😊😊😊
It inspire us to do something for our earth
Thanks BYJU’S for giving us such kind of information
Thank you BYJU’S for giving us this awareness
One step by everyone can change our beautiful world 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳
I have been part of organization called “Green Saviours” in Belgaum for the last two years. Every Sunday morning we plant or maintain the sites that we already planted and the next Sunday will be our 161st Sunday. We as a team have planted over 15000 trees with survival rate of 75% and will continue do the same. I also learnt about sustainable lifestyle and hence have stopped buying or using plastic bags for the last one year. I ensure my parents and relatives also follow this strictly.
I have also realized that buying things without the need creates garbage and hence have limited my shopping to necessities 🙂
THANKS BYJU’S FOR THIS NICE AND GOOD INFORMATION THANKS A LOT😃🤩!!
LET US TAKE MANY STEPS AS POSSIBLE TO SAVE OUR CULTURE NATURE LAST BUT NOT LEAST EARTH!!
A VERY HAPPY EARTH DAY TO ALL OF YOU TEACHERS AND MY FRIENDS AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF WORLD!!
Thank you Baiju’s for this wonderful information……………
She’s a great inspiration………..
Thank you byjus 😇😇
I have earlier listened to this story but I came through this in detail today.
Thankyou byju’s for the valuable information.
Thank you Byjus for this inspiring information☺☺
Inspiring indeed!
🎩
😁
👕👍Great!
👖
What we do is what we feel. And so, we don’t feel the obstacles in nurturing a plant into a tree until we do it. No comments on the efforts of this wonder woman. They are beyond the reach of words
I Appreciate 💐bujus for this useful and valuable information👏👏🤝🌱🌱🌲🌲
THANKS BYJUS
Thank You ! Byjus for giving us such knowledge about earth day .
I don’t know that before.
Also a heartiest thanks to Saalumarada Thimmakka for creating this day
Clean Earth , Green Earth.
Thank you byju’s for giving us an knowledge and information like this.I enjoyed on reading this.
Thanks BYJU’S for this outstanding information😄🤗
Thanks byjuse 😁 very helpful
It was an fantastic and inspiring story. Everyone of us must plant a tree
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Inspirational story which every child should go across . thank you byzus for the info
Thanks byjus 😊😊
hats off to thimmakka amma
👏👏👏👏👏
Hats off to Thimmakka amma. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👌🏻👌🏻 I am really really inspired by her