The Orange Seller Who Built a School

A humble fruit vendor who turned a lifetime of small savings from selling oranges into a school for children who had none.

For years, Harekala Hajabba sold oranges from a modest cart on the streets of Mangaluru, earning only a few rupees a day. One moment changed the course of his life: when a foreign tourist asked him the price of his oranges in English, Hajabba, who had never been to school, could not understand or answer. The sting of that helplessness became a vow, that no child in his village should ever feel so powerless for want of an education.

Hajabba's own village of Newpadpu had no school, and the nearest one was kilometres away, out of reach for most poor families. So, rupee by hard-earned rupee, this orange seller began saving to build one. With his savings and the help of donors, he acquired land and worked tirelessly to establish a school for the children of his village and the surrounding area.

What began humbly grew, with government support and contributions from well-wishers, into a functioning school that has educated hundreds of children who might otherwise never have sat in a classroom. Hajabba, often called 'Akshara Santa', the saint of letters, continued selling oranges even after his school took root, pouring his earnings back into the cause of learning.

In 2020, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, one of the nation's highest civilian awards, a remarkable recognition for a man of such modest means and boundless generosity. Still living simply among the people he serves, Hajabba's dream has only grown, as he has spoken of his wish to see a college rise in his village too.