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| Devaki Amma, Kollakkayil, Puthiyavila in Kandalloor Panchayat near Kayamkulam, Alappuzha |
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When Devaki
Amma planted the first sapling in their family land at Kollakkayil, Puthiyavila
in Kandalloor Panchayat near Kayamkulam, Alappuzha, more than four
decades ago, her aim was very small, like the sapling that was planted. She who had been an enthusiastic participant in
the family paddy cultivation, was incapacitated by an accident and had to spend
three years confined to her home. So,
the first sapling she planted was more like a substitute for her thwarted paddy
cultivation dreams.
But like
all tiny acts with intense desire and goodwill, this act of hers too did not
fail to put on leaves and spread its branches.
Slowly, over the years, she planted more and more saplings that grew
into a thick natural forest in five acres of her land. “I never thought at that time that this would
become a forest,’’ she says.
Her husband
was a teacher who would bring seeds and saplings for her labour of love. Now her children and grandchildren also pitch
in with their contributions in developing and maintaining the forest.
Over 3000
trees thrive in her land. Teak, mahagony,
tamarind, mango, bamboo etc. are some of them.
She uses only natural fertilizers and manure and makes use of rain water
harvesting. Common and exotic birds find
a welcome habitat in her forest. And
Devaki Amma cares for them by providing them nests instead of putting up nets
to keep them away.
At 85, she is
now unable to plant saplings. But she makes
it a point to take a stroll of at least 10 minutes in her forest every day. Now that she can’t tend the trees, she talks
to them.
She was awarded
Nari Shakti Puraskar by the President of India in 2019.
Her
daughter, Thankamony, who was the head of environmental engineering at College
of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram has also made her mark in environmental
activism and preservation by her work in the college campus.
