Last rites of Padma Shri awardee Tulasi Gowda performed with state honours at native village

KARWAR: The last rites of Padma Shri awardee Tulasi Gowda, an environmentalist who dedicated her life to nurturing nature and fondly known as ‘Encyclopedia of the Forest’, were conducted at her native village Honnalli in Ankola taluk with full state honours on Tuesday.

Tulasi Gowda (86), who had been suffering from age-related ailments, passed away on Monday evening due to multi-organ failure. Tulasi’s son Subbraya Gowda lit the funeral pyre on their fields close to their house. Congress MLA Satish Sail, Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya and other officials were present.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Tulasi Gowda’s death, saying, “The passing away of Karnataka’s environmentalist and Padma awardee, Mrs Tulsi Gowda, is deeply saddening. She dedicated her entire life to the preservation of nature, planting and nurturing thousands of trees and protecting our environment. She will always remain a guiding light for environmental protection. Her work will continue to inspire generations to protect our planet. Condolences to her family and fans. Om Shanti”.

ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಪರಿಸರವಾದಿ ಮತ್ತು ಪದ್ಮ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತರಾದ ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ತುಳಸಿ ಗೌಡ ಅವರ ನಿಧನ ತೀವ್ರ ದುಃಖ ತಂದಿದೆ. ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಇಡೀ ಬದುಕನ್ನು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ಪೋಷಣೆಗಾಗಿ ಮುಡಿಪಾಗಿಟ್ಟು, ಸಾವಿರಾರು ಗಿಡಗಳನ್ನು ನೆಟ್ಟು ಬೆಳೆಸಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಪರಿಸರವನ್ನು ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿಸಿದವರು. ಪರಿಸರ ರಕ್ಷಣೆಗೆ ಸದಾ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನ ನೀಡುವ ಬೆಳಕಾಗಿ ಅವರು ಉಳಿಯುತ್ತಾರೆ.… pic.twitter.com/b5cECGYw4f

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 17, 2024

Tulasi Gowda was known for her remarkable work in planting and nurturing over 30,000 saplings every year. She had planted and taken care of lakhs of trees throughout her life. She hailed from the Halakki tribal community. After losing her husband at a young age, Tulasi Gowda joined the Forest Department as a daily wager to support her two children, Subraya and Somi. She is survived by four grandchildren.

While working in the Forest Department, she took care of the plants and trees without expecting any salary. She also collected seeds from the forest and created saplings, which she then planted in the forest, silently contributing to the green revolution. Her remarkable contributions were recognized by the Government of India and various organizations. In 2021, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, the nation’s fourth-highest civilian award.

She is known as the ‘Encyclopedia of the Forest’ for her unparalleled ability to identify the mother tree of any species; she remains an inspiration to the farming community and environmentalists alike.