Padma Shri awardee Hajabba turns emotional at felicitation

Mangaluru: The Padma Shree award recipient, Hajabba, a humble fruit vendor, became emotional while being felicitated by the district administration here on Tuesday.

Hajabba was received by villagers and officials on his arrival in Mangaluru international airport on Tuesday morning. Seeing a huge crowd of people who came to receive him at the airport, Hajabba politely declined their invitation to felicitate him, got into a vehicle and left.

The vehicle came to DC office, where Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr K V Rajendra felicitated Hajabba in his chamber. Hajabba, speaking on occasion, went emotional as his eyes became wet. He said he saw President of India Ramanath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi from very near. Filled with joy, the orange vendor recalled shaking hands with Modi. "It my fortune that the PM of 130 crore people touched me," he said and explained that he had gone to receive the prestigious award with barefoot as he thought it's not dignified to wear footwear in front of such dignitaries.

He said Mangaluru was his world but for the first time in life he travelled such a long distance and became speechless at the luxury hospitality provided to him by officials in Delhi. He said his village has primary and high school. Government should construct PU college. DC Rajendra responded positively to Hajabba's request. The DC said a fitting felicitation ceremony would be organised for Hajabba at the time of inauguration of the PU college.

Fondly called as 'Akshara Santha' (letter-saint), he never had the opportunity to get formal education. After being unable to speak to some foreign tourists he encountered, Hajabba came up with the idea of the school. His village in Harekala had no schools and he didn't want to make children suffer the same fate as he. Hence, Hajabba decided to change the face of his village in 2000 by saving a portion of his earnings from selling oranges and investing in the establishment of a school on an acre of land so that the children there can receive education.

Later, local donors, gram panchayat, education department joined hands with him in establishing the school.