Meet the 68-year-old Padma awardee who built a school in his village by selling oranges
Harekala Hajjaba built the only school for children in his village of Newpadpu in Dakshin Kannada distict with the help of villagers in 2000. The Padma awardee now wants to start a pre-university course in the same premises.
The Padma Shri Awards announced this year features an inspiring list of individuals who are “really the change they wish to see” and are working for the greater good. Be it Mohammed Sharif who has cremated more than 25,000 unclaimed bodies or the one-rupee doctor from West Bengal, the stories of Padma awardees are worth emulating.
Among those lauded is a 68-year-old orange seller from Dakshin Kannada district, who built a primary school in Newpadpu village. Harekala Hajabba was interviewed by the BBC in 2012, and has since then been lauded for his efforts and contribution.
Harekala is helping students in his village get an education. (Image: The News Minute)
Harekala mentions an incident where a foreigner asked him the price of oranges in English. He couldn’t reply as he did not know the language.
He said,
“I didn't know what he meant. An idea struck me to start a primary school so that the young children of my village would not go through a similar situation,” reports BBC.
In 2000, Harekala lived on meagre earnings of only Rs 150. But he still managed to build a school with the help of villagers. He also takes care of the school premises by boiling water, sweeping the floors and doing other chores.
According to a local reporter, the orange seller made many rounds of the Zilla Panchayat office in Dakshin Kannada, which was 25 km from his village, to request officials to formalise the facilities.
His efforts have made him so popular that his struggle is a part of an undergraduate course at Mangalore University. He has also received several awards for his work.
Harekala along with the children of his village (BBC)
In a conversation with The News Minute, Harekala’s nephew said,
“Even after the new school was built, [he] continued to wake up early in the morning, sweep the campus, boil drinking water, and saw to it that both the faculty and the students didn’t have anything to complain about. He treated the campus as though it were his own home.”
Since 2014, Deputy Commissioner AB Ibrahim has been recommending Harekala for the award; his efforts bore fruit this year. Now, Harekala’s mission is to have a pre-university course in the same premises for the students.
He said,
“I hope the government starts a PU college so that students can continue education. Mostly, they discontinue after Class 10, as higher educational institutes are in the city,” reports The News Minute.
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
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