For most people walking past the temple in Sangagiri, it was just another tree. But for N Palanisamy, the banyan beside it had shaded entire chapters of his life, from childhood afternoons spent playing under its canopy to the comfort of passing it every day as an adult. In 2013, that tree was cut down to make way for the temple's expansion.

A loss that changed everything

Palanisamy, now 55 and known locally as the 'tree driver' of Sangagiri, has spoken about how deeply the feeling affected him. The same year also brought the death of environmentalist Dr G Nammalvar, whose writings and radio talks on living in harmony with nature had shaped Palanisamy's thinking for years. 

He had studied only up to Class 10, but Nammalvar's ideas stayed with him long after their one meeting. Losing both the tree and the man who inspired his outlook on nature within months of each other pushed him to act. He began planting saplings on the grounds of his old school that same year.

To fund this, Palanisamy used part of his daily earnings, roughly Rs 250, from driving an auto rickshaw. It was money he could have kept for his household, spent instead on seeds and saplings for a cause that offered him no income in return.

Planting is only half the job

Palanisamy soon learnt that putting a sapling in the ground was the easy part. Protective cages, bamboo supports, nets, and regular watering were what determined........

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