Udupi: Heard of Salumarada Thimmakka? No posthumous decorations for her, because she is alive. Poor Thimmakka in 20 years of married life had no children, but adopted plants as her children, near her house in Magadi Taluk.

She spread plants from Hulikal(where she lived with husband chikkaiah) to kudoor, about 4 kms. away, hoping to make on avenue of shady trees. She worked half-day for wages, and tended the plants for the other half.

It was MLA Shamanoor Shivashankarappa(BJP)who gave her Rs5,000 as a reward for her gracious labour of planting roadside tress, for unknown travelers.

Later, she got press publicity. Now a foster son Umesh, under a scheme of ‘Save the Earth’, has started a movement with a nursery growing 2 lakh plants for distribution. He is erecting a statue for Thimmakka as goddess of Plants at a cost of Rs10 lakhs.

Thimmakka is now honoured in Udupi, with Rs10,000 on January 8.