Koppala (Karnataka): At a time when most people are in a race to accumulate wealth and save for their future, a 68-year-old woman in Karnataka has just willingly given away everything she had so that the children of her village could study and play.
Huchchamma Chowdri, a resident of Kunkeri village in Koppala district has set an example of selflessness and community service. She was rightly feted by the Karnataka Government with the Rajyotsava Award in social service. It is the second highest civilian award given by the state government annually.
Huchchamma owned two acres of land in Kunkeri which she donated to ensure no child is deprived of education. She was honored by the state government on the occasion of Karnataka Foundation Day on Wednesday. The elderly woman now works at the same school as a head cook for mid-day meals.
She recalls that she came to Kunikeri village after marrying Basappa Chowduri decades ago when she was a young girl. The couple did not have any children and worked hard in their two-acre field. After her husband passed away, Huchchamma found herself lonely but never gave up and continued to work in the field.
At the same time, a new school building had to be built in the village. Huchchamma gladly donated one acre of the two she owned. A few years later, the school felt there was a need for a playground after which the large-hearted woman gave away her remaining land as well.
These days, around 300 students study in the school. Huchchamma has not stopped aiding the institution and works as a cook for the mid-day meals. The elderly lady says all the students studying at the school are her children and she feels a responsibility towards them.
Kunkeri is lately seeing some steel factories popping up and Huchchamma's land would have fetched her a good amount. Asked about it, she says she hardly has any regret as all she needs is two meals a day to sustain.
Apart from Huchchamma, ISRO Chairman S Somanath, sports achievers Aditi Ashok and TS Divya are among 68 eminent people to have been presented with the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award. Karnataka Foundation Day or Rajyotsava, celebrated on November 1 is a day of immense significance to the people of the state. It commemorates the formation of the state of Karnataka. It is a day for the people of the state to express their love and pride for their homeland.
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