Environmental activist Tulasi Gouda passes away at 86

Bengaluru: Environmental activist and Padma Shri awardee Tulasi Gouda passed away at her residence in Honnalli village in Uttara district on Monday due to age-related ailments, official sources said.

She was 86, they said.

Gouda belonged to primitive Halakki tribe and is survived by a son and a daughter.

In recognition of her work, she was conferred with Padma Shri in 2021.

She has planted more than 30,000 saplings and was known as the "Encyclopedia of the Forest" due to her vast knowledge of diverse species of plants and herbs.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed sadness over the passing of Gowda and prayed for her departed soul.

"I am saddened by the passing away of Tulasi Gouda, an environmentalist from Honnalli, Ankola taluk, who planted and watered lakhs of trees. Tulasi Gowda, who worked as a daily wage labourer in the Forest Department to earn a living, continued to plant trees even after retirement... and was awarded the highest honour Padma Shri," he said in a post on 'X'.

Remembering her love and concern for the environment, he said, "I pray for eternal peace of her departed soul."