Orange vendor, Harekala Hajabba awarded Padma Shri

Mangaluru: Harekala Hajabba, an illiterate Mangalorean man who built a school in his village has been selected to be conferred with the Padma Shri Award for his selfless services in providing education to the children for over 20 years now.

Harekala Hajabba, who hails from Newpadupu village in Dakshina Kannada District set up school for children of his village through meagre earnings from selling oranges in Mangalore. He initially set up ‘Hajabba School’ in a community mosque and later turned into Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School with the help of locals and the government.