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.
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.
