A photo of a barefoot elderly woman wrapped in a simple sari in her ethnic style greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Interior Minister Amit, and other dignitaries during the Padma Prize event at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi is shared widely on social media. The woman in the photo is Tulsi Gowda.
Who is Tulsi Gowda?
Environmentalist Tulsi Gowda, a native of Karnataka, received the Padma Shri Award from President Ram Nath Kovind for her immense contribution to tree conservation.
It has planted more than 30,000 saplings and has been involved in environmental conservation activities for the past six decades.
For Tulsi Gowda, forest nurseries are like her children, which is evident from the way she tends to young trees.
Many shared the photo of Gowda receiving the prestigious Padma Award and described it as the ‘picture of the day. One of the photos shows PM Modi shaking the humble woman’s hand and interacting with her.
Tulsi Gowda, 77, has worked for more than six decades planting saplings and caring for forest department nurseries.
It belongs to the Halakki tribe and is considered an “encyclopedia of forests” for its vast knowledge of trees and herbs.

Eric is a professional news editor, writer, and blogger for the last 10 years. He is working with NewsGater as an off-beat news editor cum writer.