Meet Padma Shri Awardee Tulsi Gowda, An Environmentalist Known As ‘Encyclopedia of Forest’
72-year-old tribal woman named Tulasi Gowda, an environmentalist from Karnataka was conferred the Padma Shri award on Monday. Barefoot and dressed in traditional attire, Gowda received India’s fourth-highest civilian award from President Ram Nath Kovind during a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
Gowda belongs to the Halakki indigenous tribe in Karnataka. She grew up in a poor and disadvantaged family and remained devoid of formal education. However, with her vast knowledge of plants, herbs, and trees, in 2021, she is known as the ‘Encyclopedia of Forest’.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Smt Tulsi Gowda for Social Work. She is an environmentalist from Karnataka who has planted more than 30,000 saplings and has been involved in environmental conservation activities for the past six decades. pic.twitter.com/uWZWPld6MV
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Grown-up in a forest area, Gowda was keen on knowing about trees and plants ever since she was a child. She has planted and nurtured thousands of trees. And also joined the forest department as a temporary volunteer. Here, Gowda’s dedication, knowledge, and the quest for preservation were acknowledged. She was later offered a permanent job in the department.
Today, even at the age of 72, Gowda continues to nurture plants and share her vast knowledge with the younger generation to promote the importance of environmental conservation.
On social media, a photo of Tulsi Gowda greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top ministers and dignitaries at the function was widely shared. The PM also posted the image on Instagram.
See Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Post:
View this post on Instagram
Many on social media captioned it the “Image of the Day”.
Picture of the Day 🙏🏻#PadmaAwards #PeoplesPadma #NewIndia 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/MduYMy60Up
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) November 8, 2021
#SilentHero Kudos to #TulsiGowda, a Septuagenarian environmentalist, silently carrying forward #environment protection & planted 30,000 trees in six decades. Known as Encyclopedia of Forest, her vast knowledge on diverse species of plants/herbs bewilders experts. #PadmaAwards2021 pic.twitter.com/rxOEm9jaxr
— Tribal Army (@TribalArmy) November 10, 2021
