Telangana Green Crusader D Ramaiah No More

Daripalli Ramaiah, widely recognised for his lifelong dedication to planting trees in Telangana, passed away on the morning of April 12, in the Khammam district of the state. He was 87 and died of cardiac arrest. His last rites were performed the next day, where ministers from the state, followers, and family members paid their final respects.

Born in 1937 in Reddipally village of Khammam district, Ramaiah is credited with planting over 10 million trees. He transformed social forestry into a people’s movement, often carrying seeds in his pocket. On a mission to restore green cover, he would plant seeds wherever he went, according to a 2017 post on X (formerly Twitter) by a Press Information Bureau (PIB) official. The post also notes that his wife, Janamma, significantly contributed to his plantation efforts.

He used to carry saplings on his bicycle and plant them in barren areas, says Mohan Chandra Pargaien, a former Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer. He adds that Ramaiah’s action for increasing green cover both by way of dibbling seeds of local species and by way of raising seedlings for planting at various locations can be considered his unique contribution.

His passion earned him the titles ‘Chettu’ (tree) Ramaiah and ‘Vanajeevi’ (forest man) Ramaiah. He focused on promoting native plant species like neem, teak, bael, and peepal etc.

To raise awareness about tree conservation, Ramaiah wore a steel headgear inscribed with the phrase Vriksho Rakshati Rakshitah (written in Telugu), meaning “one who protects trees is protected,” says Pargaien. “I had the opportunity to interact with him in 2004 while working as Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Paloncha and got inspired by his immense dedication to planting trees and his immense interest in collecting seeds of native tree species from nearby areas.”

According to Pargaien, Ramaiah was a true environmentalist, concerned with ecological protection long before it entered mainstream discourse. “He used to collect empty plastic bags to raise seedlings, practicing reuse and recycling over 20 years ago. He worked selflessly for the environment until his final days.”

In 2017, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, the country’s third-highest civilian award, in recognition of his dedication to environmental conservation. Media reports note that he also received the Seva Award in 1995 and the Vanamitra Award in 2005. In 2021, when the Telangana government launched Seedcopters—drones used to disperse seed balls over degraded forest areas—Ramaiah was named a brand ambassador.

Condolences poured in from across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X, “Daripalli Ramaiah Garu will be remembered as a champion of sustainability. He devoted his life to planting and protecting lakhs of trees. His tireless efforts reflected a deep love for nature and care for future generations. His work will keep motivating our youth in their quest to build a greener planet. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this sad hour.”

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also expressed deep condolences, describing Ramaiah as a man who believed that human survival is impossible without nature and who dedicated his life to that belief.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Piyush Goyal, and many others also shared messages of condolence.

(Published under Creative Commons from Mongabay India. Read the original article here)