In Karnataka's Ramanagara, the 113-year-old Auroville banyan tree, the town’s geographic centre, is revered as the "Guardian of India" for symbolising resilience and peace. Equally inspiring was 114-year-old Padma Shri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka, the "Mother of Trees," who, despite poverty and no schooling, planted over 8,000 banyan trees since 1948, creating a priceless green legacy.