Unsung Heroes | Madhav Ullal: Karnataka’s climate warrior who is Pigmy collector by day and conservationist by evening

Born at Kodi in Ullal, Karnataka, Madhav Ullal is the seventh of a family of eight children. After he successfully completed his SSLC, when an opportunity to become a Pigmy collector came his way, Ullal took it up without a second thought. Pursuing the career for the past 38 years, Ullal (54) currently works for Sri Ramakrishna Credit Co-Operative Society Ltd, Mangalore, collecting money from savers and depositing it in the bank.

Continuous conversations with forest officials from Dakshina Kannada district helped Ullal (Left) understand that the first step of his mission would be to plant as many trees as possible. (Express photo)

A small twist during the course of his work was what led him to a new mission in 1985. “Despite the challenges that come with it, it is the nature of my job that made me more connected to issues pertaining to the environment. One day, when I was taking a walk along the roads in Mangalore as I was on collection duty, I realised how the temperature had suddenly shot up in the city,” Ullal said. “That is the first time I heard of climate change and the impact it had worldwide.”

That moment of realisation drove him to learn about what he could do to contribute towards eliminating climate change. Continuous conversations with forest officials from Dakshina Kannada district helped him understand that the first step of his mission would be to plant as many trees as possible.

With his determination and perseverance and some help from the forest department, Ullal set out to become a climate change warrior. He has planted over two lakh saplings since 1985 along the roads, schools, places of worship, burial grounds and crematoriums in different parts of Karnataka and Kerala.

Ullal’s fondness for planting saplings originated during his childhood, but his mother was not able to sate his curiosity about plants. Only when he started working did he finally get to turn his passion into something meaningful.

Ullal works as a Pigmy collector in the first half of the day and plants and cares for saplings in the latter half. He has now taken a break from work to focus on his mission to care for nature.

Ullal chooses areas to plant seeds and saplings based on the soil type and geographical conditions. He then goes on to plant a variety of Ayurvedic plants and spices. Most of his saplings are scattered around Mangalore’s Hampankatta and Balmatta. He gets some help in the form of students and members of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the National Service Scheme (NSS).

Every November and December, he goes door to door distributing jamun seeds among people.

Ullal (with cap) works as a Pigmy collector in the first half of the day and plants and cares for saplings in the latter half. (Express photo)

“I help people plant these seeds and teach them how to maintain trees. People send pictures and messages telling me about the growth of these plants. This gives me immense happiness,” he said.

This year, the government recognised Ullal’s efforts by giving him a grant of Rs 1 lakh, which he now uses to plant trees and saplings across Mangalore, Hassan, Ullal and parts of Kerala. Prior to that, he would use a percentage of his salary to purchase the resources and to maintain the saplings.

Although he loves all his plants, he has a soft corner for the neolamarckia cadamba, or Kadamba as it is popularly called. He believes the tree’s long leaves help prevent the ground from heating up to extreme temperatures. He has planted Kadamba in Boliyar village in Dakshina Kannada district, which has not sprouted into a mini-forest consisting of Kadamba trees.

“I take care of the plants myself for about three to four years. Then, the forest department helps me care for them,” Ullal said.

Though he planted over 8,000 saplings last year, Ullal has still not found a place in Bengaluru to plant his saplings and looks at expanding his mission to Mysore. Kadamba trees, Indian beech (honge) trees and rain trees are what he wishes to plant in the state capital, in line with the climate of the city.

“My only request to people would be to reach out to me if they know of suitable spaces for growing these plants. The only goal I have in life is to plant as many trees as I can till my last breath,” he added.