Harekala Hajabba, orange vendor from Karnataka, awarded Padma Shri; all you need to know about him

An orange vendor from Karantaka’s Mangaluru was awarded the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The 66-year-old Harekala Hajabba was awarded for constructing a primary school at his Harekala-Newpadpu village with his earnings.

As the nation celebrates his achievement, here’s a look at the Padma Shri awardee's life:

Hajabba, who has never been to school, has been selling oranges at the Mangaluru bus depot since 1977.

He came up with the idea of constructing the school in 1978, when he could not interact with a foreigner who came to him asking for the price of an orange. Hajabba said felt depressed about the incident as he could not communicate with his customer. After this episode, he made up his mind to start a school in his village by saving money from his daily earnings of Rs 150.

For several years, the children in the Harekala-Newpadpu village did not have access to education. To help them educate, the 66-year-old started building the school on an acre of land in 2000.  He approached the former MLA of the area, the late UT Fareed, who sanctioned the construction.

Hajabba has earned the title of Akshara Santa, or Letter Saint, due to his philanthropic work. The school which he started with 28 students, now has 175 students, with classes up to X.

The 66-year-old was awarded the Padma Shri in 2020, but the ceremony could not be held due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hajabba wants to use his prize money to create more schools in the area. He has also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to construct a pre-university college for students of Class XI and XII in his village.