Orange vendor Harekala Hajba receives Padma Shri award uses savings to open school in his village

Harekala Hajba, an orange seller from Karnataka, was awarded the Padma Shri on Monday for spending his savings to build a school in his village.

An orange vendor from Karnataka was awarded the Padma Shri on Monday for using his savings to build a school in his village.

BENGALURU: An orange vendor from Mangaluru, Karnataka, who used his savings to build a school in his village, was honored with the ‘Padma Shri’ award on Monday. Known as Harekala Hajba, the selfless fruit seller has spent all his savings to open a school in his village and is contributing to its development every year.

President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented the award on Hajbaa in the national capital on Monday. President Kovind on Monday wrote on his Twitter account, “President Kovind presented Padma Shri to Shri Harekala Hajba for social work. An orange vendor in Mangalore, Karnataka, he took money from his vendor business to build a school in his village. save.”

On January 25, 2020, it was announced that the Padma Shri award would be conferred on Hajba. However, the ceremony could not be held at that time due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Y Satya Kumar, who is the National Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tweeted about the award and wrote, “A real hero. Meet Harekala Hajba ji. An illiterate fruit seller who spent his entire life and earned educating others. He also built a ‘primary school’ for the underprivileged children in his village. Congratulations on being awarded the Padma Shri.

Journey Beginning in 1995: Hajbaa is a 65-year-old man, popularly known as Akshara Santa. Hajba, an orange seller in Karnataka, could not study in his village as there was no school there. In an effort to ensure a bright future for the children of his village, Hajba started building the institution in 1995.

From getting approval from the education department to getting approval from the Dakshina Kannada district panchayat, Hajba made sure that the children in his village had access to education.