“Akshara Santha” Hajabba's saga now a textbook lesson at two universities

February 6, 2012

hajabba
Mangalore, February 6: Harekala Hajabba, the unlettered educationist who built a primary and secondary school in Newpadpu village near Konaje, has created history yet again by entering into the textbooks of Shimoga and Davangere Universities.

The 50-year-old man's unusual saga of struggle and success has been included in the Kannada textbook for the fourth semester students of the Davanagere University under the title “Sahitya Spandana, Bhaga 2'.

The life and achievements of Mr. Hajabba, who has already won a number of accolades including the Kannada Prabaha Person of the Year award (2004) and CNN-IBN Real Heroes Award (2009), has been chronicled by Ismath Pajeer in a book published recently by Kanthavara Kannada Sangha.

An orange vendor by profession, Hajabba took the unusual plunge about a decade ago after seeing the dismal situation of the Muslim community in terms of education. His journey started after he convinced the villagers to start a primary school at the local Madrasa.

Hajabba has used his hard-earned money to build the school, literally brick by brick. Despite leading a life of penury, he has donated all his prize money, including the five lakh rupees he got from the CNN-IBN, towards realizing his dream.

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Interestingly, Hajabba's story has been included in the Kannada text book for commerce undergraduates instead of arts students. The Shimoga and Davangere Universities comprise a geographical area that includes CHikmagalur and Chitradurga districts, besides Shimoga and Davangere.

The number of students pursuing gradation in commerce in the colleges under the two universities is much more compared to arts and science students. “We just don't want these students to become number crunchers. We want them to develop pro-society attitude than just keep their studies to calculating profit and losses,” said a source in the Shimoga University.

Besides Hajabba, the Kannada text book also includes brief biographical accounts of Cherkadi Ramachandra Rao, the organic farmer, writer Anupama Niranjan, forlk artiste Sukri Bommanagowda and Salu Marada Thimmakka.

'Sahitya Spandana Bhaga 2'will remain as the textbook until 2016 in the two universities. The book has 132 pages and around five to six pages have been devoted to each personality. Na. Karantha Peraje, editor of 'Adake Patrike' has authored the lesson on Hajabba.

Despite hitting headlines every now and then, Hajabba remains his usual humble self. “He (Mr. Peraje) had come to this poor man's house (badavana mane), but I did not know what he wanted to do by collecting details about me. Now I am getting calls from people from across the State congratulating me on being a textbook topic. Even H.R. Venkatesh from CNN-IBN had called me to say welldone. But, I have not read the reports yet,” said Hajabba over the phone.

Unfortunately, Hajabba who lives just few miles from the Mangala Gangotrhi is yet to get any recognition from the Mangalore University. But, the noble soul is not worried about such things and continues to think about building a pre university college. “I had been to Bangalore recently, where I was felicitated by Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda at a function organized by Tulu Koota. I have raised the issue of building the PU College before him,” Mr Hajabba said.

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News Network
November 22,2025

The Karnataka government has announced a 50% rebate on pending traffic and transport fines. The discount is available from November 21 to December 12.

The rebate applies to all traffic e-challans and violation cases booked by the RTO between 1991–92 and 2019–20. Officials clarified that the offer is not applicable to pending tax dues and is restricted only to traffic-violation fines.

Across Karnataka, more than 4 lakh RTO cases remain pending, including those involving transport vehicles. While thousands of vehicle owners have already cleared their dues, the department expects to generate substantial revenue through this limited-period rebate.

How to Pay and Avail the Discount

There are three ways to check and pay your pending fines:

1. Through Mobile Apps
Available on both Play Store and App Store:
•    Karnataka State Police (KSP) app
•    KarnatakaOne app
•    ASTraM app

Steps:
•    Enter your vehicle number in any of the above apps
•    Verify the photo/details of your vehicle
•    Pay the fine with the 50% discount applied

2. Visit a Traffic Police Station

You can pay your pending fine at any nearby traffic police station.

3. Visit the Traffic Management Centre (TMC)

•    Location: First Floor, Infantry Road, near Indian Express, Bengaluru

Transport Commissioner Yogeesh A M said, “We don't issue e-challans, so there's no online payment system.”

The department estimates ₹52 crore in pending RTO fines up to March 2020. “With the 50% rebate, we expect to collect around ₹25 crore if all dues are cleared,” he added.

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News Network
December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
November 24,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 24: The original departure time of 11.10 pm was a distant memory for scores of Dammam-bound passengers at Mangaluru International Airport last Friday night, as their Air India Express flight was abruptly cancelled at the eleventh hour, sparking hours of frustration and chaos.

The flight, IX 885, initially scheduled to depart at 11.10 pm on November 22, was subject to two back-to-back reschedules—first pushed to 11.45 pm and then significantly postponed to 1.40 am—before the final, crushing announcement of cancellation was made. For the travellers, many of whom are likely expatriate workers with tight schedules, the last-minute change marked the beginning of a distressing ordeal.

"There was no drinking water, no food, and absolutely no proper guidance. We were left stranded like refugees," complained a stranded passenger.

According to multiple passenger accounts, the airline's ground staff failed to provide adequate support or essential amenities following the cancellation. Complaints poured in about the total absence of drinking water, food provisions, and any reliable guidance from the carrier's representatives. Travellers alleged they were left stranded for a considerable period, with no immediate arrangements or clear communication offered regarding accommodation or alternative travel to send them back home.

The incident has highlighted serious concerns over the carrier's contingency planning and customer service protocols during flight disruptions at one of India's key international gateways. The airline is yet to issue a comprehensive statement addressing the alleged lapse in passenger care.
 

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