Sangagiri ‘tree driver’ turns loss into a green movement

Sangagiri: When a banyan tree near his temple was cut down in 2013, auto driver N. Palanisamy, 55, decided to act. That same year, environmentalist Dr. G. Nammalvar also passed away — an event that deeply influenced Palanisamy.

Using part of his daily auto earnings, he began planting saplings at his old school. Realizing that maintenance mattered more than planting, he focused on cages, watering and care, with support from his wife Gomathi.

In 2016, volunteers formed Pasumai Sangagiri. The 25-member group now meets every Sunday to water trees and plant saplings across schools, roads and hospitals.

In a decade, they have distributed over 1 lakh free saplings across Tamil Nadu, sown 50,000 palm seeds, and saved around 10 mature trees from felling. For Palanisamy, the biggest reward isn’t numbers — it’s children eating fruit from trees he once protected as saplings.