Orange seller receives Padma Shri award
The Hindu
He opened a primary school, his story is narrated in schools
Students of the government school promoted by Harekala Hajabba at New Padpu in Harekala rejoiced as they watched him receiving Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind live from Delhi on Monday.
The school had made the arrangement to enable students and teachers to watch the live programme of presenting of the national civil awards. The students clapped and shared the enjoyment.
Mr. Hajabba, in his 60s, had been eking out a living by selling oranges at Central Market in the city. One day, a foreigner asked him the price of a kg of oranges. He could not answer as he did not know English. Mr. Hajabba did not want the children of his Harekala village, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, to face a similar situation and decided to open a primary school.
As speculation over the continuation of Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare B. Nagendra in the Cabinet persisted, with the demand for his resignation raised by the BJP in connection with the ₹94 crore scam at the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, his Cabinet colleagues came to his defence on Thursday.