Awarded with the fourth highest civilian award for her contribution towards the protection of the environment.Recently, 72 years old environmentalist from Karnataka, Tulsi Gowda, was conferred with Padma Shree for her work towards conservation, protection and preservation of the environment and various species of plants.
She received the award from the President with barefoot and traditional tribal attire.
Padma Shree Tulsi Gowda, born in 1944 in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, belongs to the ‘Halakki’ indigenous tribe and lives in Honnali village.
She was born and brought up in a poor and underprivileged tribal family. Tulsi Gowda is known as ‘Tree Goddess’ in her tribe because of her extensive knowledge of plant species found in the Forest.
Gowda is also known for identifying the Mother Tree of every tree in the Forest irrespective of its location. Tulsi also mastered Seed extraction from Mother Tree to regrow plant species.
Seed extraction was a complicated process as seeds must be collected at the peak of germination to ensure the survival of the seedling.
Tulsi’s father passed away when she was two years old; hence worked in a Local nursery with her mother for subsistence. At the nursery, Gowda was responsible for taking care of seeds grown and harvested by Karnataka Forest Department.
Tulsi co-operated & worked with the Forest department as a volunteer in the conservation work, helping the Department with her immense pool of knowledge and experience acquired since 12. The Forest department also recognized her for her contribution.
And was offered a permanent job and was retired at the age of 70. As Tulsi Gowda was compelled to work, Tulsi hadn’t received a formal education.
Today, she is renowned as ‘Encyclopedia of Forest’ because of her vast and diverse pool of knowledge about various plant and herb species in India. She was married at an early age of 12, and her husband died when She was in her 50’s.
During her career, Tulsi has contributed towards afforestation efforts undertaken by the forest department by planting over 1 Lakh trees of various species of plants and herbs in the six decades in Karnataka on her own.
Padma Shree Tulsi Godwa has received several awards for her work in the field of seed development and conservation. In 1986, Gowda received the ‘Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award’ which recognized contributions made by individuals or institutions in afforestation and wasteland development.
In 1999, She received the ‘Karnataka Rajotsava Award’, the second-highest civilian award in Karnataka, Rs. 10 Lakh and a Gold medal. The efforts of Padma Shree Tulsi holds immense significance in the contemporary era.
Plantation by Tulsi Gowda has undoubtedly contributed to the global fight against climate change, and Gowda has conserved thousands of plant species that otherwise would have been wiped out due to deforestation, forest fires, developmental works, and other anthropogenic activities.
India is home to many Gowda’s who’ve dedicated their lives to the conservation of Forest. Governments across the globe and India must recognize efforts undertaken by these ‘Real’ Environmentalists to encourage other fellow citizens to work and contribute to conserving our valuable environment.
