Karwar (Karnataka): Padma Shri awardee, Tulsi Gowda, known as the ‘Vruksha Maate’ (Mother of Trees) for her tireless efforts in tree planting and conservation, died on Monday at her residence in Karnataka’s Honnalli village in Karwar district. She was 86.

Tulsi Gowda had been suffering from age-related ailments. Hailing from the Halakki tribal community, she was renowned for planting and nurturing lakhs of trees in her vicinity, effectively creating her own forest.

She dedicated her life to the environment and spent over 60 years raising awareness about environmental conservation.

In recognition of her contributions, Dharwad Agricultural University honoured her with a doctorate. She is survived by her two children and four grandchildren.

Acknowledging her life-long dedication, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri award in 2021.

Tulsi Gowda was born in Honnalli village to Narayana and Neeli. She was named after the sacred plant, Tulsi.

Growing up in the forest, she developed a deep love and bond with nature, especially with plants and trees, by the age of 12.

Local environmentalists referred to her as an ‘encyclopedia of forests’.

Tulsi Gowda’s knowledge of a vast range of plants, trees, and creepers that thrive in forests was unparalleled. She was a walking encyclopedia of the forest, inspiring awe and admiration among local environmentalists.

She also knew how to cultivate a forest on plain land.

She was considered an authority on more than 300 varieties of indigenous plants and trees, including the sacred Tulsi plant, the versatile Neem tree, and the medicinal Aloe Vera plant.

Her commitment to the environment was unwavering. She planted and nurtured more than 30,000 saplings each year, a testament to her dedication to the cause of afforestation.

She holds the distinction of having planted and cared for hundreds of thousands of trees so far.

After losing her husband at a young age, she joined the Forest Department as a daily wage worker to support her two children.

While working there, she continued to nurture and care for the plants, and without being instructed or expecting a salary from the department, she dedicated herself to the cause of afforestation as a service. Her work with the Forest Department was not just a job, but a continuation of her life’s mission to protect and preserve the environment.

In addition, she collected seeds of various wild plants found along the forest fringes, grew saplings, and silently led a green revolution by planting them in the forests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

–IANS