Daida Venkanna’s lifelong mission: A commitment to protecting the environment  Premium

Daida Venkanna, a green warrior from Telangana, has planted 1.6 million saplings, inspiring environmental conservation and community engagement.

Starting with just five saplings, Daida Venkanna from Nellikuduru village in Telangana’s Mahabubabad district has turned a school project into a lifelong mission for environmental protection. His passion for greenery has since led the 54-year-old green warrior to plant nearly 1.6 million saplings.

“When I was in fifth grade, my teachers, Basheeruddin and Krishna Murthy, gave me five saplings — four eucalyptus and one tamarind. The tamarind tree still stands tall at my home in Nellikuduru. They offered a ₹500 reward for nurturing those saplings at that time,” says Venkanna. That became the foundation of his work as an environmentalist.

Born into a Dalit family in Nellikuduru, around 27 km from Mahabubabad district headquarters, Venkanna has always led by example in social service. Although he worked as a tile and marble setter for several years to support his family, he remained committed to planting and nurturing saplings. For the past decade, he has dedicated himself entirely to environmental conservation, often investing his own earnings into these efforts.

In recognition of his contributions, he was presented the Telangana Haritha Mitra Award along with a ₹1 lakh cash prize, which he reinvested in environmental initiatives. Established by the previous BRS government, the Haritha award celebrates efforts to expand Telangana’s green cover. Venkanna’s work, especially through the State’s ambitious Haritha Haram afforestation programme, has made an impact from the grassroots to higher administrative levels.

In a landmark initiative, with support from then district collector Ch. Shivalingaiah and residents of Indira Nagar, where he now resides with his wife and three children under Mahabubabad municipality, Venkanna led the plantation of 1 lakh saplings in a single day, transforming the entire neighbourhood. His green initiatives span across Mahabubabad, Suryapet, Warangal, and Peddapalli, where he has turned barren landscapes into thriving green areas.

Collaborating with renowned environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee Daripalli Ramaiah from the neighbouring Khammam district, Venkanna has spearheaded large-scale plantation drives, including the ‘Rakhi Kattu Plant Kottu’ initiative. Through partnerships with local donors, he distributes and delivers saplings directly to households, encouraging communities to embrace green practices and adopt sustainable habits.

“Due to the active support of many private and Government nurseries, including that of the Forest Department, I can hand over saplings to people. I even conducted a 180-day deeksha (six months) in 2016-17 wherein I conducted a campaign using a ‘dappu’ (drum) every day to spread awareness of planting and protecting trees,” Venkanna said.