By Shaik Zakeer Hussain, TwoCircles.net,
Mangalore: Harekala Hajabba, a fruit hawker’s story book like inspiring life has found its way to Mangalore University’s undergraduate level program.
The textbook committee of Mangalore University led by Dr. Abhaya Kumar, has included in its revised syllabus the life story of Hajabba, who with his meagre savings set up a school for children of Newpadupu village near Mangalore.
Harekala Hajabba [Photo: Ahmed Anwar, The Hindu Newspaper]
The lesson is an extract from the book ‘Harekala Hajabbara Jeevana Charitre’ (Life story of Harekala Hajabba) written by social activist and writer Ismath Pajeer, and is included in the ‘Nudivani’ Kannada textbook for the first year B.Com syllabus.
Recipient of numerous awards, including the ‘Common Persons and Uncommon Works: Real Heroes’ award instituted by CNN-IBN and Reliance Industries Group, Harekala Hajabba hails from a village, where the only quality sought in a groom from the bride’s family was how many bidis can he role.
After losing his hut to a river flood, Hajabba moved to Mangalore and started selling oranges from the money he had saved rolling bidis. But his ordinary life took an extraordinary turn, when a foreign tourist asked him, “How much for oranges?” Being able to speak only the local Tulu and Beary; a language spoken by Muslims in and around Mangalore, Hajabba just stared at his customer.
The incident, he later went on to say, set off his dream to see the children of his village educated. After 12 years of hard work; selling oranges and collecting little funds from his everyday customers and after toiling through the bureaucratic maze, he finally setup the ‘Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School’.
Speaking to TCN, writer Ismath Pajeer said, “I am elated for Hajabba and feel really proud to see my story of his included in a university text book.”
“I have known him for 5 years now, and never has he once uttered a word of disdain against anybody; according to me he is a saint. His two daughters and the daughters of his widowed sister are still unmarried, yet he is working selflessly for the cause of others. I urge the government of Karnataka to honour him with The Annual Rajyotsava Awards”. He further added that he and his activist friends will campaign to get a Magsaysay award for Hajabba.
Hajabba even today earns his living by selling oranges on his head in Mangalore and is trying to open a college for the last couple of years.