Mangaluru: The students of government first grade college remained ecstatic , when midday meals were served to them. They had laboured for over five months to taste the bread of their own hard labour. When the moment arrived, joy had no bounds!
Around 200 students of National Social service (NSS) scheme had turned a piece of waste land into a fertile stretch to reap a bountiful harvest. They spent over five months to collect 14 quintals of paddy in Konaje village on the city’s outskirts.
The first grade college management had taken a piece of land on 3-year-lease period. According to the agreement, the management had to give back 1/4th of the total yield, back to the land owner. Students made around 14 trips to Kanaje, a village on the outskirts of Mangaluru city during the last five months to “learn as well as earn.” Smiles on their faces, while relishing the food of their own labour, narrated the entire story of their hard work.
Few villagers led by farmer union leader in the area, Manohar Shetty assisted the students in clearing the weeds to make the field ploughable. Car Street Government College Principal Prof. Rajashekar Hebbar and lecturers coordinated with NSS official team comprising Jeffrey Rodrigues, Dr. Nagaveni and Dr. Naveen Konaje in planning and executing the 5-month student agri-project.
