In the remote hills of Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, Amai Mahalinga Naik, a quiet farmer with little formal education, achieved what many would call impossible. Armed with just a pickaxe, crowbar, and unyielding determination, he spent over four decades digging surangas—traditional horizontal water tunnels—through rocky terrain to bring life to his parched land.
What began as a desperate attempt to survive has now become a model of grassroots innovation. Without any formal training in geology or engineering, Naik intuitively identified promising spots and carved out zero-energy micro-irrigation channels. These hand-dug tunnels tap into underground water sources, channeling moisture directly to his once-barren hillside. Today, his land is lush with coconut, areca nut, banana, and pepper—an organic farm oasis born of pure perseverance.
Naik’s creative solution to water scarcity has drawn admiration from agricultural experts, students, and sustainability seekers. Thousands have visited his farm, which serves as a living case study of how traditional knowledge and personal grit can solve modern ecological challenges.
He received the Padma Shri in 2020, not for scaling institutions or inventing gadgets, but for reminding us that small ideas, when pursued with passion and purpose, can make a big impact. His story is a beacon of self-reliance, sustainability, and silent revolution—a testimony to what one person can do with vision and a chisel.