This man doesn’t just plant trees. He builds dense, thriving forests inside our hottest cities. Meet Krishnakumar S, who has turned 65,000 native trees into 40+ urban oxygen hubs.
It all started in Chennai. Krishnakumar and his friends saw the city choking: streets baking, dust everywhere, birds vanishing. They dreamed of bringing greenery, shade, and life back to the streets.
They called it Thuvakkam—“the beginning” in Tamil. A few saplings, some tools, and a vision: turn barren city plots into green pockets, breathing hope and life into concrete spaces.
But they didn’t just plant trees—they built forests using the Miyawaki method, developed in Japan. Native saplings, planted close together, grow 10x faster, forming dense, self-sustaining forests in 2–3 years.
But growth wasn’t easy. Land approvals, water shortages, and civic hurdles slowed them. Then in 2016, Cyclone Vardah destroyed months of work. Most would quit. They rebuilt, stronger and wiser.
From Chennai to Hyderabad, they found dying lakes, scorching public lands, and empty community spaces and transformed into shaded, breathable city havens.
Today, 40+ urban forests and 65,000 trees are alive. They cool neighbourhoods, recharge groundwater, clean the air, and invite birds and insects back.
These forests became community projects too. Volunteers, residents, students pitched in. Birds returned, bees buzzed, and 65+ native species thrived. Children played, elders walked, and life returned to the city.
Krishnakumar’s vision is spreading beyond two cities. Dense urban forests are a blueprint for India’s future—fighting climate change, protecting biodiversity, and reconnecting people to nature.