Telangana’s ‘Tree Man’ Daripalli Ramaiah Passes Away at 87; PM Modi Pays Tribute

New Delhi/Khammam, 12 April 2025 — Padma Shri awardee and renowned environmentalist Daripalli Ramaiah, affectionately known as ‘Vanajeevi’ and the ‘Tree Man’ of Telangana, passed away on Saturday at the age of 87. He suffered a heart attack at his residence in Reddipalli village in Khammam district and was declared brought dead at the hospital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, remembering Ramaiah as a tireless crusader for the environment. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said:

“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. Om Shanti.”

Daripalli Ramaiah is credited with planting over one crore (10 million) trees across Telangana over several decades, often seen carrying seeds and saplings on his bicycle and distributing them among villagers. He strongly believed that the answer to combating climate change and ecological degradation lay in mass tree plantation and community awareness.

His grassroots work earned him the Padma Shri in 2017 and widespread recognition as a symbol of India’s environmental movement.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also condoled his demise, calling him a “green revolutionary” whose one-man movement had blossomed into a societal campaign for environmental preservation.

A school dropout and self-taught environmentalist, Ramaiah’s life was dedicated to restoring greenery in barren landscapes. His legacy lives on in the millions of trees he nurtured and in the environmental consciousness he instilled in future generations.