Fruit Vendor Receives Padma Shri Award; Highest Civilian Award in the Country

141 persons received the Padma Shri awards on November 8^th, the country's highest civilian award. President Ram Nath Kovind honoured them at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for their noteworthy contributions in many disciplines, ranging from humanitarian service to sports and entertainment. 

The work of several of the honourees is quite extraordinary. Harekala Hajabba, for example, is a beautiful example of this. He was awarded the Padma Shri for his outstanding efforts to build a primary school in his village using his funds. He is from Mangaluru. He is a fruit vendor who has dedicated his entire life to ensuring that the children in his village have a brighter future than he has. 

He Used His Entire Fortune To Establish The  Village's First School 

Hajabba is from the Karnataka village of Newpadapu. It lacked a single school, leaving generations of residents, including the orange seller, illiterate. An encounter on the job in 1978 convinced him of the need for education. An English couple inquired about the price, but he was unable to reply because he only spoke Tulu. He explained, "I was humiliated that I couldn't tell the price of a fruit I'd been selling for years." 

His wish came true only in the year 2000. According to NDTV, he sought the late UT Fareed, a local MLA, who gave him permission to build it. Initially, the institution accepted around 28 pupils. It now has approximately 178 kids enrolled in classes from kindergarten through tenth grade. Many individuals have also given money, which will be used by Hajabba to open other schools and universities. 

Starting a Pre-University Institution Is His Dream 

Harekala Hajabba's pleasure was unbounded when he received the Padma Shri. He congratulated President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nalin Kumar Kateel, and Kota Srinivas Poojary, the district manager.

"I have requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a pre-university institution in my area for classes 11 and 12," he stated. He wants to build a pre-university institution in the area now that he has garnered attention.