by reciprocal arrangement with Star of Mysore

Mysore, Mar 17: She planted hundreds of saplings and nurtured them day and night to grow into huge trees which are providing shade to thousands of people.

She is Thimmakka, popularly known as Saalu maradha Thimmakka in the evening of her life at 76 but with plenty of zeal. She was selected for the national award but even today she has not received the stipulated cash prize. 'A good samaritan' came to her rescue and with hectic effort got her an old age pension of Rs. 100 per month.

Thimmakka was felicitated at an interactive session organised under the auspices of the Mysore Reporters' Guild at Pathrakarthara Bhavan here recently.

Sharing her experiences in life, in her inimitable naive style, Thimmakka disclosed that though she had planted countless number of saplings and nurtured them into huge trees, Government had recorded only 284 of them. 'One Shanmukhanath informed me that I had won a national award and took me to Bangalore. He got my thumb impression on some papers and later took me to Delhi by train. The then Prime Minister Deve Gowda presented me the award. Lot of eatables were arranged at the venue. Without allowing me to eat any, Shanmukhanath brought me in a car to the hotel where I was provided dinner. He sent me back the same night by train accompanied by a relative of his. That person gave me just Rs. 500 and left' narrated Thimmakka about the way she got the nationals award!

Pleading her ignorance, she continued 'I do not know whether the award was Rs. 1 lakh or 2 lakh. My thumb impression was taken on several papers. I was just given Rs. 500.'

It is a pity, Thimmakka is unawares of the whereabouts of that Shanmukhanath. She is not aware whether he was an MLA or an MP. She did not even try to know who he was. In Delhi she was only shown the place where former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. She is somehow managing her life, often throwing up her hands in despair.