Who is Padma Shri awardee Tulsi Gowda? Here’s all you need to know about the ‘Encyclopedia of Forests’

President Ram Nath Kovind presented 119 Padma awards to some of India’s most eminent personalities in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. As many as 61 honorable figures received the Padma Shri and among them was the notable 72-year-old environmentalist, Tulsi Gowda. Also known as the ‘Encyclopedia of Forests’, the Karnataka-based environmentalist belongs to the tribe of Halakki in Uttara Kannada. Gowda possesses in-depth knowledge of plants and herbs which she gained while working with her mother since the age of 12. Her work as an environmentalist includes planting more than 30,000 saplings along with protecting the environment by working as a volunteer. Gowda belongs to the Honnali village in Karnataka and she never went to school since she lost her father at the young age of 2. The environmentalist joined her mother in working at a local nursery and was married off before she could reach her teens. However, Gowda’s spirit did not deter and her dedication towards preserving mother nature fetched her a permanent job in the forest department. Her simplicity while attending the Padma award function with top ministers and dignitaries has caught the attention of internet users. Photos of Gowda receiving the award barefoot at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Durbar hall have garnered heartfelt reactions. Twitter users have praised the veteran environmentalist for her modesty, calling her the nation’s barefoot wonder woman. https://twitter.com/supriyasahuias/status/1458034891367464961?s=20 https://twitter.com/DrAMSinghvi/status/1458138553364332548?s=20 The pictures of the Padma Awards where Gowda greets the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah with folded hands are also being shared on social media. Some users have captioned the picture as ‘Image of the Day’ while others have said that Gowda is India’s pride now. Take a look at some more tweets below: https://twitter.com/mohandreamer/status/1457897236948422656?s=20 https://twitter.com/akhileshsharma1/status/1457755973112655877?s=20