“My responsibility has gone up with the Padma Shri. I will continue this campaign till my last breath”
Haritha S Sundar
Daripalli Ramaiah aka Tree Ramaiyyah is easily recognised in any crowd. A cycle bell, a man with a smile and pocket full of seeds, that’s Ramaiah- a man who pledged to make barren land to fertile. When he gifted 1 million plants to the land, the nation honoured him back with Padma Shri.
Born in 1937, Ramaiah hails from Reddypally village in Khammam District of the state of Telangana. A common man, who barely knows to read and write, Ramaiyyah replies with a smile that he started loving plants and trees six decades ago. The 80 year old Ramaiah astonishes everyone when he says that he loves to show everyone the trees he planted rather than telling everyone that he loves the nature.
He collects the seeds of various tress and plant them along the road, school- hospital premises, public places and in every nook and corner of his village; wherever he can. He collects the seeds and sows them in barren places before the rains. During the rains, the seeds sprout finally into trees.
Now, his wife Janamma accompanies him to watering the plants in the farm, in this journey in search of places to plant the trees, in digging pits to plant the trees and often to distribute the seeds and saplings. Sometimes even school children accompany them. Today, for the villagers planting trees is a festival. The villagers irrespective of their age support Ramaiah in this mission.
Ramaiah is in his 80s and is too weak to cycle long distance. So he has started his journey in an Auto Rickshaw. Without losing the passion he repeats that he would plant trees till his last breath.
Key Contribution : ?Planting over 1 million saplings
