Salem auto driver turns grief into green: 1 lakh saplings and counting

Salem: When a banyan tree from his childhood was cut down in 2013, N Palanisamy, 55, decided to act.

The Sangagiri resident, an auto driver, began planting saplings at his alma mater using Rs 250 a day from his earnings. Inspired by environmentalist Dr G Nammalvar, he soon realized maintenance mattered more than planting.

With support from his wife Gomathi and later the Sangagiri Lorry Owners Association, his solo effort grew into ‘Pasumai Sangagiri’ in 2016. The 25-member volunteer group now meets every Sunday to water trees, clear weeds, and plant saplings at schools, temples and roadsides.

The group runs a nursery and has distributed over 1 lakh saplings free across Tamil Nadu. They’ve also planted 50,000+ palm seeds and rescued around 10 old trees using cranes.

Campuses like Vadugapatti and Sangagiri Model School, once barren, are now green.“For me, the trees are like children,” Palanisamy says. “When they grow, it feels like our family is growing too.”