Bantwal: In a distant village of Melkar in Bantwal, Mohommed Sharief runs his fruits and vegetable business. Though he may come across to be just another vendor that is not the case with him. There is one difference that makes him stand out from the crowd.
For 21-year-old Sharief, there were two options- either to be complacent with himself or do something that touches at least a few lives and he chose the latter. That decision that he made two-years-ago has turned into being the reason behind smiles on the faces of hundreds of little children studying in a nearby Maji Government school.
Sharief used to see a teacher from the school come to his shop to buy vegetables. Over the conversation, the teacher had several times spoken about the difficulties faced by the school to get vegetables for the mid-day meal programme. Sharief, who was then all of 19 promised to do his bit. Over the last two years, Sharief has been supplying vegetables to the school free of cost.
Speaking to newskarnataka.com Sharief says that it was his own difficulties that made him do something good to the school kids.
“Maji school has 135 students and the majority come from economically backward families. I remember the days when I used to go to school. Hunger and poverty were such gruesome realities of my childhood that today, I would not want any child to go through the same,” he says as his eyes start welling.
Sharief had once aspired to become an advocate to fight for justice, but the paucity of funds had compelled the young man to discontinue his LLB studies half way.
“The pain of quitting studies is unexplainable. All this has moulded me into a sensitive yet determined person. Probably my own bitter realities helped me do what I am doing,” he says, while thanking his father Abdul Hameed and his older brother Nazeer for standing by his decision and Maji school teacher Sangeetha Sharma, Maji School Old Students’ Association Member Chinna (for ferrying the vegetables to the school) for an opportunity to serve the kids.
Every week, Sharief sends five kgs of vegetables for ‘sukka’ (dry dishes), eight kg of vegetables for sambar, four kg tomatoes, one kg chillies, some onions, coriander and ginger.
Though Sharief was not keen on publicity, he says his father convinced him to speak to media because reports on him could motivate vegetable vendors like him to come forward to do the same.
With a host of dreams to serve the society, Sharief says that despite being bound to his shop from 6 am to 11 pm, he will never let go of an opportunity to serve the society.
