changeadminKollakkayil Devaki Amma, at age 92, is set to receive the Padma Shri award for her environmental contributions. The awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day 2026.
Hailing from Kerala, Kollakkayil Devaki Amma is celebrated for single-handedly transforming her family’s barren land into a thriving, self-sustaining forest of over 3,000 trees, including rare medicinal plants.
Born around 1934 in Muthukulam (Alappuzha, Kerala), she developed a love for horticulture from her grandfather. After her marriage to Gopalkrishna Pillai, an English teacher, she became busy with farming.
In 1980, a severe car accident left her bedridden for three years, ending her farming but sparking her forest-building journey on ancestral land.
Post-recovery, Devaki Amma planted saplings one by one, nurturing them meticulously by watering, organic manuring, and rainwater harvesting.
In a few years, she created a dense forest, known as “Tapovanam,” spanning 5 acres and featuring over 3,000 trees, 200+ varieties of shrubs, and rare medicinal plants. The forest also has ponds, wetlands, and wildlife, including peacocks, monkeys, and Amur falcons.
Krishnanaal (Krishna’s buttercup) and Lakshmi Tharu are some of the rare plants cultivated by Devaki Amma in her Tapovanam forest, showcasing her expertise in biodiversity.
Even at her age, Kollakkayil regularly visits her forest, sharing knowledge with visitors, researchers, and students as an educational site. Her family, including children and grandchildren, actively supports Devaki Amma’s environmental efforts.
In the past, Kollakkayil Devaki received honours such as the Nari Shakti Puraskar (2018), the Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra, and state awards.
The Padma Shri award to Kollakkayil Devaki Amma will inspire widespread admiration, spur grassroots environmental action, and encourage family-led afforestation.
She is expected to receive her Padma award from the President of India at a ceremonial function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in March or April 2026.
Padma Awards are among the highest civilian Awards of the country and are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
The Awards are given in various disciplines/fields of activities, viz., art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order, and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.
For the year 2026, the President has approved the conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri.
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