Biography

Saalumarada Thimmakka was born on June 30, 1912 in Gubbi, Kingdom of Mysore, British India [now Gubbi, Karnataka, India]. She was an actress, known for Vande Mataram: 75th Independence Day (by Kannada Celebrities) (2022). She was married to Chikkaiah. She died on November 14, 2025 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

She has planted nearly 8000 other trees. With the support of her husband, she found solace in planting trees.

Her work has been honoured with the National Citizen's Award of India and was recognised by the Government of India and she was conferred with Padma Shri in 2019.

A U.S. environmental organisation based in Los Angeles and Oakland, California called Thimmakka's Resources for Environmental Education is named after her.

Saalumarada Thimmakka also known as Aala Marada Thimmakka, is an Indian environmentalist from the state of Karnataka, noted for her work in planting and tending to 385 banyan trees along a 4.5-kilometre (2.8 mi) stretch of highway between Hulikal and Kudur, Ramanagara District.

In 2016, Saalumarada Thimmakka was listed by British Broadcasting Corporation as one of the most influential and inspirational women of the world.