Preserving Mother Nature, One Tree at a time!

For an explorer, the Land of Karnataka is truly a delight. In every direction, there is a hidden gem waiting to be explored. And every single one of them, waiting to tell its story.

On the coast of the Arabian Sea, Ankola a taluka in Uttar Karnataka offers a breathtaking view of the beach stretching as far as you can see. The sound of crashing waves, the sea breeze lapping you and slowly immersing you into a completely different world. In a true sense, it is indeed a hidden gem.

While I truly admire this gem, the gem I was in search of lives about 20 km away from Ankola.

This entire place is environmentally rich. So, to celebrate World Environment Day , established by United Nations , I couldn’t think of any better example than my next guest who lives in this region. Thus, I dialed my next Guest, an environmentalist from Honnali Village, Ankola Taluk, in Uttara Karnataka.

My guest Padma Shri Smt Tulsi Gowda ji is commonly known as "The Encyclopaedia of the Forest" or "Tree Goddess". It is no secret that by merely looking at the seed, she can identify the mother tree. Her knowledge is an outcome of incredible hard work, sincerity, and passion for the environment. She is known to be primarily responsible for preserving the Biodiversity and lush forests in the region.

The beginning:

Born into a Halakka tribal family in 1944, Tulsi Gowda ji didn’t really receive any formal education. She lost her father at the early age of 2. Thus, she had to accompany her mother to a local nursery. When she was old enough to work, she started working there as a day labourer alongside her mother. ?Growing up in a tribal village surrounded by dense forests, she developed a great love for the picturesque beauty, but more importantly, she developed a deep connection with mother nature. This is where she built immense knowledge of botany.

Beginning of the career:

Tulsi Gowda ji, started by taking care of different seeds required by Karnataka Forestry Department.

However, she wasn’t very happy with the gradual degradation of her surroundings due to deforestation, encroachment, poor upkeep, wrong practices etc. She was determined to make a difference by embarking on a mission to conserve the bio-diversity of the entire region.

She started working to create awareness and planting trees. She has planted more than 30,000 saplings and is estimated to have planted more than 100,000 trees across Karnataka. Due to this, she significantly enhanced the prevention of one (1) community reserve, five (5) tiger reserves, fifteen (15) conservation reserves, and thirty (30) wildlife sanctuaries. Her tireless afforestation efforts have not only enabled a sustainable approach to maintain bio-diversity in the region but also acted as a shield against poachers and forest fires, thus ensuring the safeguarding of wildlife.

After 35 years of great work, she joined a permanent position at the Karnataka Forestry Department, offered to her in recognition of her work in conservation. She worked there for 60 years.

Building Community Knowledge:

Tulsi Gowda ji’s other notable contribution is her extensive knowledge of the healing properties of various plants and species. Hence, she took it upon herself to preserve the immensely valuable wisdom.

She tirelessly collected and cataloged medicinal plants and their properties. At the same time, she continues to share, spread, and educate the communities about health and well-being through this rare wisdom.

She has the rare ability to identify the mother tree of every species in the entire region. It’s critical to understand the underground nodes as they connect mother trees with saplings for the mother tree to exchange nitrogen and nutrients.

She has also established a community-managed seed bank of indigenous plants with fellow tribes. This empowered the local farmers to reduce their dependence on commercial and chemical-laden seeds.?

Tulsi Gowda's initiative has become a great model for sustainable agro-biodiversity and has inspired similar efforts in neighboring villages.

Credit to many such notable works, no wonder, she is commonly known as "Encyclopedia of the Forest” and “Tree Goddess" due to her knowledge.

Accolades & Awards:

Tulsi Gowda ji has received more than a dozen accolades and awards, sharing here a few:

In 1986, she received the inaugural Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award (IPVM) by Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India

In 1999, she also received the 2nd highest civilian honor of the Karnataka State of India, the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award.

And in 2021, she walked Barefoot and dressed in her traditional tribal attire in Rashtrapati Bhawan, to receive India's fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri from Honorable President Sri Ram Nath Kovind ji.

Despite all these achievements, Tulsi Gowda ji remains a humble and grounded person.

At last, I asked her; how did she feel when she got the Padma Shri.

She humbly said, I felt honoured and extremely happy. But still, my biggest moment of happiness is when my saplings grow into huge trees. My saplings are like my children. And she laughed.

In conclusion:

Tulsi Gowda ji’s story is an excellent reminder of the strength of a tribal woman and her determination to make a difference and effect change.

While the world is grappling with environmental challenges, her work stands as a beacon of hope. Her incredible efforts to preserve biodiversity, protect endangered species, and promote sustainable practices have created a cascading effect in inspiring others.

I couldn’t think of a better example than a National Pride & a true Gem, the Padma Shri Tulsi Gowda ji to celebrate World Environment Day a UN Environment Programme .

Thanks to her entire family for helping me with her story.

Key Links

Padma Shri Tulsi ji on HISTORY TV18 & National Geographic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9aaFiuATvw

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