For the last 30 years, Harekala Hajabba has been travelling closely 25 km a day to sell fruits across the city of Mangalore. But what really surprises people here is, he managed to build a school for the under privileged children and has his eyes set on building a PU college. Wondering how a fruit seller could manage to build a school? Here’s his story.
Hajabba recalls an incident when a foreign couple came to him to buy oranges, but due to his poor English skills, he had lost a customer. Henceforth, he decided that no more of his countrymen from the next generation should ever face that problem and started educating himself and many other kids in his neighborhood.
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Though it was not an easy road on the way for him to build a school, he fought his way through and build a school after convincing all his other colony residents in 1999. Gradually the number of children grew and Hajabba decided to shift the school to another building.
Between his orange-selling he spent days trying to convince the Government officials for the need of a school in his village. After years of hard work, in 2004, he was sanctioned a small piece of land and on November 14th the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School was inaugurated in Newpadupu village.
Now, Hajabba aims to set up a pre-university college in his locality where students can get all coaching facilities and required study materials to prepare for some big exams like NEET, JEE Mains etc.
This indeed as a great initiative taken by Hijabba and he stands as a real inspiration for many across the country. To have realised the value of education and ensure its available to as many people as possible is really a big thing and our entire team of “The Youth” salutes his courage.