"Mother of Trees" Saalumarada Thimmakka .
"Mother of Trees" Saalumarada Thimmakka. The motherly instincts of 106-year-old Saalumarada Thimmakka , who was awarded Padma Shri for planting thousands of trees in Karanataka, as she touched the forehead of President Ram Nath Kovind to bless him. Thimmakka, who has earned the sobriquet of 'Vriksha Mathe (mother of trees)' for planting 8,000 trees including over 400 banyan trees, was honored along with other personalities at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday. In a ceremony marked by strict protocols, Thimmakka, with a smiling face and 'tripundra' on her forehead, approached the dias to receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind. As the president, 33 years younger to Thimmakka, asked her to face the camera, the centenarian touched his forehead to bless him. Her innocuous move brought a smile on the faces of the President, Prime Minister and all the guests who burst into a rapturous applause for her. Thimmakka's stor