A habit that developed as a child to plant trees and care for them brought Ramaiah recognition decades later. For planting more than one crore saplings and taking care of them for the last 45 dutifully and as a responsibility, Daripalli Ramaiah of Reddypalli village in Khammam district of Telangana was awarded the Padmashri by the Government of India in 2017. He received the award from the then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Life has become even more hectic for the recipient of the award. He continues to plant saplings everyday. Ramaiah and the rising sun have barely missed a date. Popularly known as ‘Vanajeevi’ or ‘Chetla Thathaiah’, Ramaiah’s life story and mission have been included as a lesson for Class 6 students in Telangana.