Meet Tulsi Gowda, the barefoot environmentalist, who got Padma Shri

Tulasi Gowda, better known as the “Encyclopedia of Forest” was on Monday presented with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, by President Ram Nath Kovind. She is among the 61 Padma Shri awardees for the year 2020.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented Padma awards to 73 individuals, some posthumously. Of these, four were Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and 61 Padma Shri awards for the year 2020, according to a statement issued by the President’s office.Born into a Halakki tribal family in a village in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district, Tulasi Gowda has planted over 30,000 saplings in her lifetime.

Gowda, 72, received the award in the Rashtrapati Bhavan barefoot and received huge praise on social media for her simplicity. She walked barefoot in the historic Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, stopped briefly to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before going to receive the award from the President.

President Kovind tweeted, “President Ram Nath Kovind confers the Padma Shri on the social worker Tulsi Gowda, who is famous as the Encyclopedia of Forest due to her vast knowledge of diverse species of plants & herbs.”
Tulasi Gowda joined the Karnataka Forest Department as a volunteer. Noticing her dedication and commitment to protecting the environment, the government offered her a permanent job as a member.